NaruSaku: Into the Future
by pizza blade
Summary: Joining hands, joining hearts, gazing together at the same direction to the horizon beyond. With you by my side, I fear nothing... with you by my side, fear is just a small speck of dust easily blown by the wind when you and I march together forward...
1. First Episode

Sorry for the rather long rants below, but I feel they're all needed to be said:

-I'll say it straight from the beginning: this is a **Naruto x Sakura** (NaruSaku) story, so if your preferred pairing is not them, you might not want to read this story of mine (though, you'll be more than welcomed to read it nevertheless.)

-English is not my first language, and I have never learned it specifically in an English language school or anything, so do not expect to be treated with a Shakespearean-level vocabulary and/or truly exemplary use of grammatical proficiency in here.

-I suck at describing action scenes and making descriptions for characters' appearances… _and_ making summaries. There, I said it.

-The setting of this story is a few years post the Akatsuki-arc. Let's just assume that the entire Akatsuki problems have been dealt with, and everyone has moved on to new things. Also, as for Sasuke… well…

-This is the **very first** Naruto fan-fiction I have ever made in my entire life. As such, I apologize beforehand if how I portray the characters may betray your expectations. Also, the creation of new original characters is inevitable since this story is based on a new plot—regarding this, although I always strive to keep their characteristics within the plausibility of Naruto universe, there may be times when things will get out of hand without me realizing it. If this happens, feel free to give me a good, hard, slap to keep me back in track.

-Reviews, comments, or anything, would be most certainly appreciated.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

* * *

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

_First Episode_

* * *

"_To love is to place our happiness in the happiness of another_."—**G.W. Von Leibnitz**

* * *

**-Konoha Streets**

It was one of those usual busy days at Fire Country's Hidden Ninja Village, Konoha. Although the day has not yet reached maturity, the streets were already packed with people, each with their own businesses to attend to, eager to compromise whatever tribulations fate has in store for them starting from this day forward.

The weather was very accommodating today. One could almost say that it was even glorious. The sun shone just the perfect amount of light, and its ray swept across the entire land like a master painter meticulously painting its own masterpiece. The wind blew softly, caressing all that it passed through with its gentle touch, giving a truly pleasant sensation. Birds sang a beautiful orchestra atop many trees inside the village, and the sound of the leafs ruffled by the soft blow of the wind served as a perfect compliment for the beautiful melody nature has composed to those fortunate enough, and attentive enough, to embrace for it.

And yet, although there were all the reasons for all people to feel that blissful feeling inside their hearts on a beautiful atmospheric day like this, one could still clearly see that for some people, not even the strongest power of nature's allure could make those lips of theirs smile. One such example amongst those people was a young boy, one that has yet to reach adulthood, who stood inauspiciously in front of one of the tall lamp post besides one of Konoha's main street. His face looked annoyed, and it's obvious that for whatever reason he stood there, he didn't enjoy it in the slightest.

If there's also one thing that made him different from any other boy on the street, it's the fact that he wore a Konoha Ninja band on his left arm. A band only given to those qualified enough to serve as a part of the proud Fire Country's Hidden Village Ninjas, the home of many excellent and world-renowned Ninjas in the world. Judging from the boy's relative age and appearance, however, it was pretty obvious that he was still a Genin—the lowest rank available in the entire hierarchy of Ninjas—or, he could also just recently graduated from Konoha's Ninja Academy.

…

He kept waiting, and waiting, while ignoring all the looks he got from people passing through him that wandered what was a young boy like him stood conspicuously in front of the street when the day was still young like this.

…Finally though, two people from the crowd approached him. A boy and a girl each, both of them appeared to be of the same age as the waiting one. Contrast to him, however, they both had an excited look on their faces. Theirs also looked particularly exuberant, like they were expecting that something really good would befall upon them soon enough.

Like the waiting boy, both of them also appeared to be Ninjas, since they both wore a similar looking Ninja band on themselves. The boy wore it on the more "usual" place, his forehead, while the girl wore her shiny, reflective symbol of Ninja admittance like a necklace, slightly below her neck. Since they seemed to be at the same age as the waiting boy, it was most probably safe to assume that both of them were also either a Genin or newly-graduated students from the Academy.

"Hey, Kenji!" the approaching boy raised his hand to the waiting one.

The boy that was called Kenji looked up. He then didn't waste any time to give the approaching party a glare.

"Ito, Haruna," he said to them, trying to look as angry as possible, "……Both of you are late."

He looked at the wristwatch wrapped on his right ankle.

"We're supposed to meet here at 6.30," he said dubiously, "And now it's already 6.45. A Konoha Ninja isn't supposed to be lax at things like this!"

Both Ito and Haruna showed an apologetic expression on their faces.

"Uh, sorry," Ito answered regretfully, "…I was kind of… too excited last night that I just couldn't sleep. Also, there's the fact that my parents threw me a celebration for my successful inauguration from the Academy… so…"

"Yeah, I apologize for my lateness too, Kenji-kun…" this time the girl called Haruna responded with a bit of guilt added to her tone, "My parents also threw me a celebration party… My hands got sore having to shake so many relatives and friends that came to my house to congratulate me… I didn't have time to get a proper sleep last night…"

"Well I didn't have time to celebrate at all!" Kenji retorted, his face looked tense, "Since my father is a respected Jounin, as do my mother, they would _never_ throw me a party before I could become a Genin today! And I bet the Jounin that we all going to meet today to inspect us would dock points off our score if we come late to the promised time!"

"…Sorry…" both Ito and Haruna said slowly, with their heads looking down.

Kenji huffed.

"...Well… it doesn't matter anymore now that you are both here," Kenji signaled both of them—although he was clearly angry before, seeing the downed faces of his comrades still managed to make him felt kind of sorry, "…Come on—if we run, we might be able to be there on time."

"Oh, okay!" Ito and Haruna answered almost at the same time.

* * *

**-Konoha Training Ground**

"…say, Kenji-kun…" Haruna said quietly.

"…Yeah?" Kenji answered absent-mindedly. For some reason, he looked even more upset than before.

"…You said back then that a Ninja shouldn't be lax about arriving on time…" she continued.

"…Yeah I said that," Kenji replied nonchalantly.

"…so…" Haruna said—she looked kind of amused.

"So _what_?" Kenji said again.

"So what are you going to say to the Jounin since _he's_ the one getting late right now?" this time Ito spoke, and just like the girl, he had that amused look on his face.

Haruna went giggling.

"…Hmph…" was all that Kenji could muster, since he couldn't construct an answer to that kind of question. Actually, he _could_, but making a follow up to that answer would most probably something he'd hesitate of doing.

…

The three of them stood at one of the Training Fields of Konoha, places where Konoha Ninjas sometimes used in order to hone their skills. All the Training Fields were located inside the walls of Konoha, so they were relatively safe places for practice, while also at the same time each and every one of them provided a large enough space for everyone to train various Ninja abilities. They mainly served as places where all Ninjas from Konoha—even the most famous and strongest of them—first took their step in the harsh realities of the world they're about to inhabit.

…And through his first step towards all that, all Kenji could do was grumbling furiously.

He just couldn't believe that the Jounin that was supposed to inspect them for their Genin test was late coming to the appointed time. He remembered it well: on the announcement yesterday from their Academy, their team—team five—was supposed to meet here today with their appointed Sensei right at seven A.M. But now it's already forty five past seven, and the one they've been waiting from has not yet shown his face.

…

"Perhaps something came up," Ito tried to assume a reason, "Our inspector is a Jounin after all—perhaps suddenly some huge mission came up and he's forced to take it up or something…"

"If that's what happened, someone should have already come here to tell us that," Haruna shook her head, "But nevertheless, you maybe are correct—perhaps something important happened…"

"Whatever the case, it's already the Jounin's obligation to meet us here!" Kenji said with a fiery tone, "It's his responsibility! His duty! He couldn't just shrug it off without paying any regards to us!"

"Yeah…" Ito murmured, agreeing to Kenji's statement—although perhaps he would just say 'yeah' to everything Kenji said right now.

…

"So anyway," Haruna muttered, "Do you guys know about this Jounin that is supposed to inspect us? Also, if we all manage to get through, that Jounin will also become our squad's captain, right? Our leader?"

"Yeah," Ito nodded his head, "The other teams have already met with their respective Jounins. We were supposed to meet him yesterday, on the day our team was formed, after our graduation from the Academy. But they told us our Jounin was in the middle of a very important S-Rank mission from the village… so we couldn't meet him until today…"

"I know the whole story! Geez!" Haruna complained, "…I just want to know what kind of person this Jounin will be. Anyone knows?"

"…All I know is that he's quite a famous Ninja," this time Kenji was the one that answered her question, "Supposedly one of the most talented—those guys at the Academy told me. They also said that he is supposedly a one of a kind Ninja—we simply just won't be able to find anyone else quite like him even if we are to search every corners of Konoha. He also appeared to be the possessor of many unique and famous Jutsus that only he can perform…"

"Woah, really?" Ito looked excited, "So we have a famous and strong Sensei to inspect us today?"

"Famous or not, he shouldn't shun his obligation to meet with us here on time!" Kenji once again pouted, "That's not a responsible Ninja behavior that a Jounin should display as a part of proud Konoha Ninjas!"

"Yes, yes, but do you know anything else about him?" Haruna quickly asked him—like Ito, she too looked excited that they were about to meet with a famous Ninja, "Like, anything else exciting?"

Kenji sighed.

…Somehow he felt like neither Haruna nor Ito has any semblance of realization in their minds about the severity of this whole "not coming on time" thing for a Konoha Ninja.

Nevertheless, he said,

"Well…" he muttered while scratching his hair—although it wasn't really itchy or anything, "…They said that he played a very significant role of saving Konoha during the last Legendary War, although technically he was still not a Jounin back then…They told me that if it wasn't for him, Konoha might probably not just be able to exist today. Even my father and mother looked really glad when I told them about him going to inspect us today. They said we couldn't possibly ask for a better person to lead us……although now I start having some suspects to that…"

"Oh my God!" Haruna looked even more excited than before—so excited, in fact, that she could just combust here and now, "Are you saying that the Jounin that we are about to meet today is one of the heroes of the Legendary War? Wow!"

"…Don't get your hopes up too much," Kenji looked at her silly, "There're a _lot_ of people involved at the Legendary War. Even those who did nothing at the War would still be considered as heroes by our people right now—after all, we don't have any really detailed records of that War. _Everybody_ can claim they did something back then…"

"Well, but even your parents acknowledged him, right?" Ito jumped into the conversation, "So that means that he is the real deal. After all, your parents participated in the Legendary War too, right? Managed to defeat some very famous and powerful enemies too, I've heard from many people."

Kenji didn't say anything. In his mind, he admitted that what Ito just said truly make sense, since his parents really were not the kind that would give compliments to anyone unless they were really deserved—but still, he didn't want to concur to the thought that a hero of the last Legendary War would neglect an obligation as simple as coming on time. No honorable character would ever do that!

…

"…Legenday War… Legendary War…" Ito murmured to himself, "They taught us that at the Academy, but why can't I remember the whole details that clearly…?"

"That's because you are a lazy bum who can only get excited for lessons when they involved throwing shurikens or something," Haruna put her hands on her waists, "You're not the type to read the books, aren't you?"

"Well shurikens are a lot more important compared to books for a Ninja to have in combat anyway! And they didn't ask for it during our final test at the Academy, so it shouldn't be that important, right?" Ito retorted back to her, "Anyway, if you know so much about it, why don't you shed some light for me then?"

Haruna sighed exasperatedly. Although she was still a young girl herself, the attitude she showed towards Ito right now was just like a school teacher facing a very slow student.

"Alright, listen up!" she said in a bossily manner, "The Legendary War was a battle fought between the best Konoha Ninjas against a force so powerful, it had the potential to disrupt not only the future of Fire Country, but also all other countries around the world. In fact, ever since the last Great War, it was the only time where countries all around the world worked together in order to face a common foe. Collaboration between countries was inevitable, since the enemies we're facing back then were really _that_ strong! It's said that each member of the enemy's group held the potential to ruin a single country single-handedly! They were that powerful! _That _powerful!"

"Okay, okay, we get that," Ito nodded, "And then what?"

"Well, details were a bit sketchy as to why those powerful bad guys wanted to threaten the balance of the world order back then," Haruna said seriously, "Some said they wanted this, some said they wanted that……according to our textbook anyways, their goal was nothing less than to conquer the entire world under their belt. It was said that those bad guys were joined together under one particular organization called…"

"Wait!" Ito raised his hands to stop Haruna before she could manage to finish what she wanted to say, "I remember this! Wait a minute… wait a minute… The name of that organization that tried to conquer the world during the Legendary War……"

…

"…Um……" Ito murmured, thinking.

Haruna looked annoyed. She stopped for a moment to give him a chance to redeem himself, but she didn't plan on stopping for _that_ long.

"Um… uh…" Ito still in the murmur mode, his face looked so terribly serious.

Haruna couldn't stand it anymore, but before she could manage to say anything, Kenji interrupted,

"It's Akatsuki," he said evenly.

"Ah! That's right!" Ito clapped his hands—for some reason, although the one answering the question was Kenji, he still looked mightily satisfied with himself, "Yes! That's right! I remember! _Akatsuki_!"

Haruna sighed.

"Well, congratulations on being able to remember the _obvious_," she said sarcastically—Ito did not seem to catch on it, since he still had that satisfied look on his face, "Anyway, yes, the organization was called Akatsuki. On the day now remembered in Konoha as the Day of the Heroes, after all the extreme measures taken with a lot of casualties to find their exact location, Konoha—in collaboration with another parties, most particularly Sand—launched a massive all-out attack to eliminate the Akatsuki once and for all, for the dangers they exhibited were just far too serious to be ignored any longer."

"Ah…" Ito once again clapped his hands, "…We lost many extremely talented Ninjas, right back then, right? In fact, I remember something about that all-out battle was the only fight ever fought by Konoha that took so many very important casualties that it almost tore apart the very foundation of Konoha itself. It was even more devastating than the Great War a long time ago. Same thing happened with the Sand, and other parties that participated. The entire world of Ninjas itself nearly collapsed because of that one, single most glorious battle ever known in the history…"

Haruna looked at Ito with a strange expression on her face.

……Sometimes she just didn't get him.

"Yes, that's correct," she said, nodding her head, "But thanks to the great efforts and sacrifices by many heroic Ninjas, we were able to rebuilt what was lost because of the Akatsuki, and although it took some time, Konoha and the rest of the countries were able to stood back on its feet again! And right now, we are a part of the New Generation of Konoha Ninjas!"

She looked somewhat proud when she said that.

"Well, that's that!" she said.

She looked once again to the direction of Kenji.

"So anyways, since we have rid that out of the way…… any other information about this Jounin of ours?" she said excitedly, "If he's truly a hero of the Legendary War, a survivor, he must have had some very great Jutsus, yes? Yes? He must have been a great Ninja, right? Right?"

"Why don't you just wait until he arrives here anyway?" Kenji said, sighing, "Then you can ask him all the things that you want to ask. So then you can annoy someone else other than me…"

It was a testament of the friendship between those three that Haruna did not seem the very least bothered by the fact that Kenji just said that she was annoying. It's like she just took it for granted, like it was one of those things that's so usual happening between them that it's just not worth to get angry about.

In fact, Ito just laughed about Kenji's comment, and Haruna looked even more determined than before. She immediately sat on the ground in front of him, and looked directly at his face from below complete with puppy eyes.

"Aww come on, don't say that!" she pleaded, "Your parents knew him personally, right? So they should have told you some things about him! Also, you knew some info back from the people at the Academy, right? Come on… Don't be so stingy! Tell us!"

"Yeah man," Ito nodded, "Tell us."

"…All right……" Kenji finally succumbed—either he finally just wanted to make his team-mates stop battering him with questions, or perhaps it's simply because he couldn't find anything else better to do while waiting for their supposed Jounin inspector… he might as well indulge them to kill some time.

He took a deep breath.

"Well…" he started his explanation, "They said that our Jounin guy here was once part of a squad personally led and taught by the Sixth Hokage himself. Also…"

"Wha? The Sixth Hokage?" Ito nearly jumped out of sheer surprise, cutting through Kenji's explanation without even thinking, "…For real? _Our _Sixth Hokage?"

Haruna looked even _more_ excited than before.

"Yeah…" Kenji nodded his head, "That's right. Of course I am talking about our Sixth Hokage. What? Do you expect a Konoha Ninja to be in a squad led by someone from _other_ country?"

"And then? And then?" Haruna pressed on.

"Um…" Kenji said as he tried to remember all things his parents and the people at the Academy told him yesterday when he inquired about the Jounin, "……They also told me that he was one of very few people personally taught by one of the Legendary Sannins of Konoha…"

Ito's eyes looked like they almost popped out from their sockets, while Haruna wasted no time to immediately sigh breathlessly in awe. Her face was completely stunned, like she got suddenly hit with a lightning bolt.

"W…which one? Which one?" Haruna was quick to barrage Kenji impatiently, her eyes filled with immeasurable excitement, "Because, they were like, so awesome! …Although one of them turned out to be a madman… but still! The Legendary Sannins of Konoha…… Jiraiya-Sama, Tsunade-Sama, and Orochimaru-sama…… which one of those three taught our Jounin? Which one? Which one?"

"You are always so eager to talk when it's about the Sannins, aren't you?" Kenji said to Haruna, all the while raising one of his eyebrows. Until now, and most probably up until forever, he just couldn't really understand how she always looked so obsessed and excitable for anything related to Sannins.

"Well yes, of course! Who wouldn't?" Haruna said breathlessly, "Because they were like, the greatest Ninjas _ever_ in Konoha… what's wrong with becoming a fan? If you read some of the books in the library about the Sannins—oh, by the way, I have read all available books about them in the Library, when will they add some new collection?—you would most certainly be able to fully appreciate all the things that they have done to Konoha, and what impact did they have to Konoha as a whole… Also…"

"Yes, yes, yes, we know that we should read _the_ books!" Ito interrupted Haruna hastily because he got the feeling she would just continue to drabble endlessly if no one's stopping her, "But to have our Jounin like that…" he continued as he ignored Haruna's glare, "It's really surprising isn't it? That our Jounin was a student of one of the Legendary Sannins……"

"To be honest, I am kind of surprised too, when I first heard the news…" Kenji admitted, "I mean, who doesn't know about them? Their feats were legendary, after all…… To think that our Jounin was one of their former students…"

He sighed.

Though he must admit that he—once again—felt so sorely disappointed that a person that was supposed to be taught by one of the legendary Sannins turned out to be a Ninja so irresponsible that he was incapable of respecting an obligation as simple as coming on time. He was actually very excited when he woke up this morning… but now…

…Maybe not so much anymore…

"Hello…? Kenji-kun?" Haruna pressed on, "You haven't answered my question yet! Which one of the Sannins taught our Sensei?"

Kenji lifted both his shoulders.

"I don't know, I forgot to ask," he answered casually, "It doesn't matter anyways, right? Regardless, he should be pretty strong. If we all manage to pass through his examination today, Haruna, you'll be free to bother him anytime you want."

"Oh… that's right……" Haruna's enthusiasm suddenly dwindled down, "That's right. He can only become our Sensei if we are able to get pass his Genin test, right…… If we don't …… we have to return to the Academy for some time…"

She bit her lip, her face looked concerned.

"Okay, now I'm a bit worried…" she mused, "…He's a former student of one of the Legendary Sannins…… I suppose he must have already prepared a super duper difficult test for all of us… I bet he's a strict Jounin with that kind of history under his belt……"

Her expression showed that she was very worried about the prospects of failing.

Ito looked kind of worried too, since what she just said make perfect sense for him. If they fail this inspection, they would only have two similarly undesirable options left: going back to the Academy or just quitting Ninjas altogether…

Kenji, however, did not look that worried. He gave a thought to something for a moment, before saying,

"This might cheer you both up a bit, although I have no means to confirm whether it is true or not," he said, "The people at the Academy also told me that, our Jounin here is supposedly one of the most 'fun' Ninjas out there in Konoha... I suppose…… that's just a way of saying that he is actually the very opposite of strict. Also, we are supposed to be the very first team ever for him to inspect since he got inaugurated as a Jounin…… I've heard that usually first batch of teams get inspected by newly promoted Jounin get some leeway in terms of inspections, or something like that… So…"

He exhaled a long breath.

"You two should just relax and just do your best today," he said casually.

He didn't expect his words could bring so much relief to his team-mates, but apparently they did. Just like that, both Haruna and Ito's faces were freed from most of their worries, and they looked considerably more confident in themselves than before.

"Heehehe…" Haruna smiled appreciatively, "Thank you for the words of encouragement, Kenji-kun."

"Yeah, thanks," Ito too, showed his appreciation.

Kenji suddenly felt a twinge of happiness inside himself, although it happened so suddenly he didn't have enough time to figure what to do with it. In the end, he just looked away from his smiling comrades, his face decorated with a shade of blush.

…

"…You know, Kenji…… all those things that you told us about the Jounin…" Ito looked like he just realized something important, "They're finely informative and all… but it appears like you left out the one, most crucial information of all…"

"And what's that?" Kenji asked.

"His name." Ito said promptly.

"Oh yeah, that's right…" Haruna clapped her hands together, "You haven't told us his name yet…"

"…His name?" Kenji raised one of his eyebrows—now that he gave it a thought, he hasn't told those two the name of the Jounin yet. For some strange reason, it just slipped through his mind.

…Also, for some strange reason, he seemed to have some difficulty recalling the name of their Jounin. He remembered the people of the Academy told him the name already, but perhaps his euphoria yesterday of being able to finally graduate from the Academy made him less attentive than usual.

He could remember it vaguely though…

"Oh… yeah, his name…" Kenji muttered thoughtfully, "It's…"

…Vaguely…

"If I am not mistaken… it's… um…" his eyebrows were furrowed closer to each other, "…It's… U… something… um…"

"Oh come on!" Haruna insisted.

"It's…"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Kenji nearly jumped out of sheer surprise, and both Ito and Haruna immediately looked so shocked that they seemed like they could just get a heart attack anytime now.

Because all of a sudden, someone stood behind Kenji, holding his shoulders firmly from behind. It was so sudden, so fast, it felt like one moment nothing was there and then the next moment they blinked… someone… _just like that_… stood there.

Kenji reflexively jumped forward and quickly turned his body to face the person suddenly appeared from his behind without even the smallest glimpse of warning. He looked positively stupefied to the fact that a person could just suddenly get to his behind without him detecting the approach _not even in the slightest bit_.

Ito and Haruna just stood there, their faces still enveloped in total shock. "Disbelief" was written all over their faces because unbelievably, it was as if all of a sudden someone just came out from thin air.

_Just_. _Like_. _That_.

…

It was a truly unbelievable feat for them, but it's the truth, whether they would believe it or not.

The person was there.

Standing.

Smiling.

…

He's a still relatively young man, perhaps with an age around twenty or so. Tall, with a bright blonde hair that although looked so messy and ruffled at first glance, actually complemented his overall look so well in a way that no other hair styles just could do. He wore the official Jounin outfit, with his Ninja band tied securely not on his forehead like usual, but on his right hand, slightly above his elbow. In his forehead, he wore a red bandanna instead with a yellow colored fire motif spread throughout. Overall, aside from a peculiar white bandage wrapping his left thigh, there was nothing unusual on his overall attire.

He's a relatively handsome young man, though, there's no doubt about that. There's just _something_ in his overall look that's just make it hard for people not to look, and just look, when they caught him in their eyes… and when they did, it's hard to break off... His face looked so playful, but one look at his emerald blue eyes and it felt like anyone could just drown inside the immeasurable depths hidden behind them… Those undoubtedly were the eyes that have felt, seen, and experienced many...

Also, although he radiated such a carefree aura from his overall appearance, one could undoubtedly sense that there's a man behind that playful demeanor that no one would be able to just mess around with carelessly.

…

…And…

Kenji couldn't explain it well.

It's not that this moment could be classified as his first time ever seeing a Jounin with his own eyes. After all, his parents were also Jounins, and sometimes other Jounins were kind enough to give him some trainings or stuff as some sort of courtesy or nice gestures for his parents.

However, when he looked at this one Jounin standing in front of him… in this one Jounin that made an appearance so shocking Kenji's still unable to calm his heart-beat…

…He felt different somehow.

Like he was staring not just an ordinary Jounin… or an ordinary _person_, for that matter…

…Like his feelings were telling him that there's more to this man than what he appeared, but for all the things in the world he just couldn't finger what… Like there's something in this Jounin that made him different somehow, but it was hidden under an impenetrable wall… It was obvious, yet at the same time unnoticeable…

...

Naruto just smiled widely.

* * *

-**Hokage's Office**

-Knock-

-Knock-

Kakashi turned his attention away from seeing the view of Konoha through the window in his office to the entrance door.

"Yes," he said shortly, adjusting his Hokage attire.

A woman clad in a formal appearance courteously opened the door and said,

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," she said politely, "A Jounin by the name of Haruno Sakura-san is here. She said she was summoned by you."

"Oh yes," Kakashi nodded casually, "Let her in."

"Certainly, Sir," the woman nodded, and disappeared again behind the door.

Not long enough, the door was reopened, and this time a different woman came in.

It was Sakura.

"Excuse me," she said politely.

"Sit down, Sakura," Kakashi signaled her, "There's something I need to discuss with you."

Sakura complied, and she sat down promptly on the seat right in front of Kakashi's desk.

It was weird, Kakashi immediately thought inwardly inside his mind. It was weird that they're both now has moved so much forward more than just Sensei-Student anymore. He was appointed Hokage after the previous Hokage, Tsunade, was unfortunately, but nevertheless honorably killed in the all-out battle against the Akatsuki many years ago, a full-scale battle people would refer to as the Legendary War nowadays. At first he hesitated to accept such a grand position, because he felt like he just couldn't handle that big of responsibilities yet. He just felt—lacking.

However, after a lot of thinking, plus a lot of pressure from many of his peers that he should just accept the position since no one was as appropriate as him, he finally succumbed. After all, Konoha needed a new leader lest it would collapse under the threat of disorganization after the extremely massive losses it took because of the Legendary War. He just couldn't say no after practically everyone voted him to sit in the seat of the leader to help set things up. The biggest final push of all, however, came not from his peers or the people of the Village—it came from Naruto. The blonde haired Ninja with a dream to become Hokage someday, one that have pursued that dream in the fiercest possible way since his first inauguration as a Ninja, said that no one but his Kakashi-Sensei should be allowed to take the responsibility of leading the Village after the devastating loss caused by the Legendary War.

It was then that he knew he couldn't avoid the responsibility.

Remarkably, he was able to perform just as fine as his closest Konoha comrades expected. Sure, at first there were some doubts whether the seemingly lax Ninja would be able to handle the burden of leading a nearly collapsed Konoha to the state before the Legendary War, but lo and behold—people calling him a genius was truly an appropriate thing to do. Under his leadership, and the hard-work of many Ninjas that believed in his leadership, the Konoha village was slowly but surely able to prosper again in only a matter of years. Today, many even believed that Kakashi's leadership was even better compared to the Fifth.

…

As for Sakura that sat in front of him right now…… True to her name, she has blossomed into such a beautiful flower, a true Ninja, the one who always help people, not the one who always became helpless all the time. No longer a Genin that passed out because of a basic Genjutsu anymore, she has made quite a name for herself not only because she's the only true student of the now deceased Fifth Hokage, but also because she's one of the best Medical Ninjas in Konoha, with capabilities many believed could—in the end—even surpass her Mentor, given her still relatively young age. Her Medical Jutsus-know-how contributed greatly to the rebuilding of Konoha post the cataclysmic event of the Legendary War, and there're quite a number of Ninjas out there wouldn't even be able to survive without her. She's now a Jounin, one of the only few that specialized in Medical Jutsus, and a person many would say mostly responsible for the recent sudden surge of people's interest in trying to learn Medical Jutsus. Obviously, she has become a source of inspirations for many to become a Medical Ninja, just in order to become like her.

…Not only that though. As a thing that was perhaps even more important than her transformation from a rookie Genin to an accomplished Jounin, she has transformed from a spoiled young girl into an independent and focused young woman—a beautiful one too, no less. Gone were the days where all she could ever think of was pursuing a selfish love, or accommodating her childish needs. The Sakura that sat in front of Kakashi right now has defeated that side of her a very long time ago, and the current her showed no signs—not even in the slightest bit—of wanting to go back to her former self that only existed in history right now.

…Not many would notice that transformation, however. As one of her closest aides that have been together with her since her childhood days, Kakashi was one of those few who undoubtedly noticed Sakura's shifting—perhaps even _dramatic_—changes. And that oftentimes sent him a very funny and odd feeling every-time he saw her—how the old days just felt like yesterday, and how he has become a Hokage and she has become a full-fledged Jounin. Sometimes he could still see her as his former student, although perhaps it was more like he still _wanted _to see her as his former student. He knew that he had to get rid of those feelings now, but somehow he just found himself often unable to do so.

……Aah, the bane of changing times……

…

"Hokage-sama?"

Sakura's remark snapped Kakashi back into reality. He didn't notice that he was staring at Sakura, almost like he was scrutinizing her.

"…What's wrong?" she asked questioningly, "Are you okay? It's not like you to just daze off like that."

Kakashi shook his head.

"No, its okay…" he said, "Sorry."

He sat down on his chair.

Suddenly, Sakura laughed softly.

"…You know…" she commented, "Even after all these years, it's still really hard for me to call you Hokage-sama… I don't know—I guess I will always still see you as our Kakashi-Sensei no matter what. And that Hokage hat you wear—I still have a hard time getting used to you wearing it."

Kakashi smiled.

"Well, you don't have to be so formal with me, Sakura," he said, "You and Naruto can still call me Kakashi-Sensei if you want to."

"Tempting, but nah," she shook her head, "I don't want people entertain the thought that you as Hokage is playing favorites. I think it would be best if I just train myself in order to get used in calling you Hokage-sama. At the very least when I'm talking with you in the presence of others, or when I'm talking about you with anyone other than Naruto. Although… calling you in that way may prove to be the hardest training of all, mind you."

She laughed again.

Kakashi nodded slightly.

"If that's what you want," he said.

"Anyway, Ka… sorry…, Hokage-sama," Sakura corrected her seating position, "What are you calling me here for?"

Kakashi leaned himself against the back of his chair.

He looked serious.

…

"Have you seen Naruto around?" he said, "He should already be back right now—I have already received the report of the mission I assigned to him."

"…No…" Sakura mused thoughtfully, "No, I haven't seen him yet. Strange… usually he always said hello to me every time he returned from a mission… Hmm, I wonder what's wrong with him…"

And just like that, she immediately had that worried look on her face.

She did not seem to realizing it herself, but more often than not Kakashi noticed that she's always too quick to jump into worry every time the name Naruto was mentioned along with even the tiniest signs of abnormality. Like she's afraid something could happen to him even though more often than not nothing did actually happen.

"Probably nothing though, you don't have to worry," Kakashi said casually, "Perhaps he just went straight to the Training Ground. Today is supposed to be the day when he inspects a team of freshly graduated Academy students to become Genins. So perhaps he just went there straight after he finished his mission and reports."

"If that's the case, then he should at least get some rest first!" Sakura immediately remarked.

"This is _Naruto_ we're talking about, Sakura," Kakashi stated, "He should be okay."

Sakura sighed.

"……I guess…" she nodded slightly, "Anyway, your reason for calling me here. Is it about something related to Naruto?"

"Yes, but no, not really," Kakashi answered. He leaned forward and interlocked his fingers with one another, using his elbows as support on the table, "I mean, it's actually not about him, but unfortunately whether he likes it or not he must be involved with this one."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kakashi opened one of the drawers on his table, and pulled out what appeared to be some sort of a letter. He inspected it for a few seconds, before finally giving the letter to Sakura.

"What's this?" Sakura asked again as she received the letter. It was written in a lavishly decorated piece of paper, a sign of unmistakable importance contained within.

"It's a formal, and personal, request from the Kazekage of the Sand," Kakashi answered, "He said that it would be best for the Leaf to send Naruto, since he's already familiar with the terrains of Sand's territory."

"…You mean Gaara?" Sakura said as she gazed on the letter, "Wow, haven't heard from him from quite some time……"

…

…Sakura read the letter.

She read on, and on…

Every once in a while she read the letter, her eyes seemed to exhibit a sense of disbelief, and also every once in a while, she gasped, albeit quietly. She seemed very focused as she read the whole letter word by word.

It took her some time, because sometimes she reread what she has already read. Finally though, she carefully folded the letter and gave it back to Kakashi.

…

"What do you think?" Kakashi asked as he received the letter back from Sakura and returned it to where it was stashed before.

"…Well…" Sakura's voice trailed off for a bit, "It's interesting, undoubtedly… It's a personal request from the Kazekage himself, so it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible, that's to be sure."

"Of course," Kakashi nodded, "And then?"

"…I assume the reason why you called me here right now is so that I can, together with Naruto, be the ones that go there as Konoha's representatives, am I right?" she asked.

"Yes, although for Naruto's case, it is Gaara-kun himself that requested him," Kakashi reminded her, "After all, you two are probably the most knowledgeable Leaf Ninjas in regards to the Sand. It's not an exaggeration to say that most people there even look upon you two with fondness because of what happened back then during the problem with Akatsuki."

"I know, but that's that though…" Sakura responded, "Naruto's an accomplished Jounin right now, Hokage-sama. He handled numerous A and S rank missions already, so why do you feel the need to add me to this mission?"

"You don't want to be together with Naruto for this mission?" Kakashi asked.

"I am not saying that!" Sakura hastily said, her face looked a bit flustered, "It's just that, I feel that my presence there might be unnecessary since Naruto is most probably more than capable to handle this all by his own!"

"True," Kakashi nodded, "…But an extra precaution won't hurt."

"……Extra precaution?" Sakura looked mildly surprised at that sentence.

Kakashi didn't say anything for a while.

Sakura felt like he was not telling her something, but remembering the fact that he's a Hokage right now while she's a Jounin, and also the fact that she just said she didn't want to be treated differently by him, she decided to just stay quiet in the end.

After all, she figured that since it's about Naruto, if she truly deserved to know, Kakashi would have told her already…

…

"…Never mind that," Kakashi shook his head casually, "So, what are you going to say? Will you accept?"

Sakura gave it a thought for a moment. Although she said all what she just said, in truth, she would be more than happy to take a mission together with Naruto. Ever since they both became Jounin, both have been busy with their own businesses that they rarely could spend time together outside of formal Ninja affairs. They rarely ever spent time as a team together again, like they used to be when they were Genins and Chuunins, doing missions side by side…

She wasn't entirely sure why, but she missed the days where she could tackle a mission together with him, when she could work together with him. She also missed the times when she could just…

…Fool around with him or something…

"……Okay, then," Sakura nodded her head, "What about Sai? Can he join us too?"

"I suppose that can be arranged," Kakashi nodded his head, "I'll send someone to tell him. I am sure he'll accept. However, that's all that I can spare for this request—the rest of the Jounins unfortunately have already taken other assignments."

"We three should be more than enough," Sakura said happily—her together with Naruto and Sai in a team would be like old times, "…But oh, Hokage-sama. I have one request, if I may."

"What's that?"

For some reason, Sakura looked a bit nervous. She was fidgeting a little.

"I know before I said that this thing needs to be addressed as quickly as possible," she said, "But unfortunately, since this is so sudden, I have to finish a lot of important things first back at the Konoha Hospital. So, is there any chance that we might just go to the Sand, like, the very first thing tomorrow morning, perhaps? Instead of today? We should still be able to arrive in Sand before the required time anyway."

Kakashi looked at her directly. For a moment or two, he didn't say anything, although behind his mask he formed an appreciative smile.

"Gaara-kun didn't mention in his letter that we _should_ send someone today, per se," he responded, "So yes, I suppose, we could do that. That way, Naruto could get some rest too, while he's at it."

"Yes, yes, that's correct," Sakura nodded—a bit too hasty to be considered natural, but Kakashi was willing to just let it slide.

…

Sakura stood up.

"Is that all?" she said.

Kakashi nodded.

"Well then, I'll go find Naruto…" she said, "I also need to taking care some businesses at the Konoha Hospital, since this is so urgent. If you'll excuse me, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi nodded again.

He didn't say anything else when he watched Sakura turned to the door, opened the door, exited the room, closed the door behind her, and altogether vanished from his view.

For some reason, suddenly he looked even more serious than before.

Once again, he pulled one of the drawers on his table, and pulled something out from there.

This time it was a piece of white paper, with many difficult-looking numbers and symbols written all over it.

He looked at the top most writing at that paper with a very serious look on his face.

It said,

"REPORTS OF UZUMAKI NARUTO"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *


	2. Second Episode

-Noticed quite a number of errors at the previous chapter. It has been re-uploaded with fixes, and some minor changes. However, since my English know-how is limited, I may have still missed some mistakes regardless.

-Thank you very much for all the responses, reviews, and criticisms that were posted. I also wish to further my thanks to all willing to spend some of their time for my story.

-Aside from usual manga/anime-related stuffs that are usually useless such as "Baka!" or "Gomen!", I really don't have any background knowledge of Japanese language _at all_. So, any original Jutsus featured in this story will have this format for naming: "(name of Jutsu in English) no Jutsu." I apologize beforehand since I know some people do not like that kind of thing, but I really don't have any other choice. I'll try to keep it as minimal as possible (also, I don't want to make every character to yell the name of their Jutsus every time they perform them since that is, frankly, an unrealistic behavior.)

-People usually use italicized fonts in order to describe flashbacks. I don't, because according to me italicized fonts will become a sore to the eyes of the reader if they're used too many, and often times flashbacks require long expositions to describe properly. Instead of italicized fonts, before any flashbacks, I will use time descriptions instead (e.g. five years ago, one hour ago, etc)

-As usual, **reviews and such would be much appreciated**.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

* * *

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

_Second Episode_

* * *

"_Too often we underestimate the power of a touch_, _a smile_, _a kind word_, _a listening ear_, _an honest compliment_, _or the smallest act of caring_, _all of which have the potential to turn a life around_."—**Leo Buscaglia**

* * *

**-Konoha Training Ground**

"So…" Naruto said with a big smile, "You guys are the one I need to inspect for the Genin entrance exam, eh?"

"Y…Yes Sir!" Haruna answered almost reflexively—for some reason, she suddenly looked terribly nervous in front of Naruto's presence.

"Aaah…, that's good then," Naruto commented as he nodded his head, "Well, first of all I want to apologize for coming here late. It's just that I just came back from a mission and managed to gather for myself a few wounds here and there…"

He tapped the white bandage wrapped on his left thigh.

"Particularly nasty, this one…" he smiled, "Guess you can't expect to always escape unscathed from dangerous missions, eh? Well, anyway, the reason for me being late is that I had to taking care some things first, write some reports… all that pretty boring stuffs. So I apologize."

"N…never mind that Sensei!" Haruna quickly replied, "Never mind that!"

"Yeah, it's okay…" Ito added slowly.

They both quickly threw their eyes to Kenji, who—to their immense relief—in the end seemingly has decided that it would be best to just let bygones be bygones. That, or he was still in kind of shock that Naruto was able to sneak behind him undetected that he just… well… kind of forgot about his previous grudging.

…

"Thank you for your understanding!" Naruto nodded appreciatively, "Now, if you don't mind—I know that normally we did this kind of thing yesterday after you three graduated from the Academy, but since circumstances didn't allow for it, let us just do it now. _Introductions_!"

Naruto immediately sat on the ground. Though he did not instruct them to follow his actions, both Haruna and Ito quickly sat on the ground too, with Kenji followed slowly behind.

"Let's start with you," Naruto pointed to Ito, "Describe yourself, such as your hobby, your likes and dislikes, your dreams, and the reason why you want to become a Konoha Ninja. Those kinds of things. Up to you."

…Naruto felt a peculiar sense of de ja vu. It seemed like it was only yesterday when the three of them: him, Sakura-chan, and Sasuke, introduced themselves to Kakashi. And thus the beginning of a very long journey for Team Seven. Many things happened since then…… And now he's a Jounin, with three soon-to-be Genins sitting in front of him, anxious for his inspection.

There's a strange feeling brewed inside him because of the atmosphere of the situation he's in right now, although that's not to say that Naruto didn't enjoy it. In fact, he enjoyed it so much, he just couldn't seem to stop smiling right now.

…

"M…me?" Ito looked surprised, "Oh…okay!" he tensed up a little, "My name is Kamazaki Ito, and uh… I just graduated from the Academy, with uh… pretty good scores, I guess."

Naruto chuckled a little, while Ito continued his introduction,

"My hobby? I suppose sports…… also, I really like throwing shurikens around, although I am not sure that can be classified as a hobby or not…" he mused slowly, "My likes… Sleeping, I guess. And good food. I don't really dislike anything, but perhaps that's just because I haven't given much thought about it… As for my reasons to become a Ninja…"

He stopped for quite a while for this. He looked somewhat serious.

…In the end, he said,

"I suppose, it's because I want to become the strongest person there is out there…" he muttered—he sounded rather unsure, though, "Yeah, perhaps that may be the reason…"

Naruto nodded his head understandingly.

"Okay," he said, turning his eyes to Haruna, "Next… I suppose the girl first."

"Uh, uh, okay!" Haruna responded hastily—she looked nervous, but also at the same time excited, "My name is Takeba Haruna. Same like Ito-kun here, I just graduated from the Academy—we three came from the same class. Um…, my hobby…… I suppose reading books. A…and cooking."

"Cooking?" Naruto leaned his head forward, looking at her with interest.

"Y…yes!" Haruna quickly nodded—for some reason, having Naruto looking at her like that made her heart went to a bumpy ride, "I like to cook, since my parents own a restaurant in the village!"

"Perhaps you could teach me how to cook some day," Naruto said with an appreciative laugh, "…All I can make is Ramen… Anyway, carry on."

"Yes!" Haruna nodded again—her head seemed to have lost all of its joints to her neck because she nodded _so_ fast, "My likes… um, I really like really strong Ninjas, such as the Legendary Sannins of Konoha, or the Hokages, like the Fourth or Fifth, although of course the Sixth is very strong too…"

Kenji could have sworn that he saw Naruto's face changed a bit when Haruna mentioned the names of the Legendary Sannins and Hokages in her sentence. He wasn't entirely sure, but he felt like there's some sort of emotion evoked within Naruto the moment he heard their names mentioned.

…Of course, Kenji didn't mention anything about it. He had nothing to do with it anyway.

"…I dislike…… lazy people, I guess," she contemplated carefully, "And spicy food. _And_ hot food. Uh, I guess I don't like sour food as well. As for the reason I want to become a Ninja… well…"

She seemed to have a serious thought about it.

"Hm…" she muttered thoughtfully, "…I suppose it's because I want to help my family. And! I also want to become a strong Kunoichi like Tsunade-sama, the fifth Hokage!"

Naruto gave her a big smile, which immediately resulted in a very apparent shade of pink streaking wide on her face.

"That's a good reason," Naruto said appreciatively as he looked to Kenji's direction, "…Well, I guess it's you for the last."

"My name is Hsinamoto Kenji," Kenji said flatly—he didn't really know why, but there's something about this Jounin sitting in front of him that made him uneasy… like something was off but he wasn't entirely sure what, "My hobby is training. I like sweet foods, and I dislike nosy people. The reason why I wanted to become a Ninja, is so that I can make both of my parents feel proud of me. I want to make them happy. I want them to acknowledge me."

Naruto gazed quietly at Kenji for a moment, before he gave him a smile.

"That's a worthy dream," he muttered softly, "Making those you cared about acknowledging you."

Kenji was a bit taken aback because he didn't expect that kind of statement from Naruto, especially with that kind of somewhat emotional-sounding tone, but before he could say anything, the blonde-haired Jounin took something out from one of the pockets on his vest.

The three newbie Ninjas did nothing but to stare at him as he lifted the object he just took a little so that they could see it clearly. It was three set of golden bells, each tightened to a medium-sized rope, all with a small hook attached on its end.

"…What's that?" Ito was the first one to ask the question.

"Well, these three bells will determine whether the three of you can become Genins or not," Naruto explained casually—the effect of his words, however, immediately made the youngsters' faces in front of him tense, "Since you all already know my name, let's just jump straight into our business today. Here's what we're going to do: you three will try to do your best to snatch these bells from me…"

Naruto latched the bells' ropes to a small hook attached on the bottom right of his Jounin vest.

"… Up until the sun right on top of our heads, or around noon," he said, "If the three of you are able to successfully do that, I will officially grant you all the title of Konoha Genins. As easy as that."

"So, wait!" Haruna raised her hands, "All that we have to do is to take those bells from you, Sensei? That's the test?"

"That's correct," Naruto nodded lightly, "Seems very simple, but believe me, it's easier said than done," he smiled.

"And each of us must take one?" Ito added the question.

"True," Naruto nodded again.

"So the one who does not have a bell at the end of this test will be sent back to the Academy?" Kenji joined in the questioning.

"Well…" Naruto scratched his messy hair while grinning mischievously, "Here's the thing. Should, by the end of this test, someone from you three does not have the bell… Hmm… How should I put this… Well, the short version is, even if two of you manage to get the bells from me, you three will still fail the inspection if the last person does not manage to get a bell ."

…

……

It took the beginner Ninjas a couple of seconds to fully digest what Naruto just told them, and when the words finally sunk in, those three yelled incredulously at almost the same exact time.

"WHAT?" those three shrieked.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded casually, "That's the rules for Genin test nowadays."

"B…b…but!" Haruna stammered, her face filled with shock, "That means, even if there's only _one_ of us fail to get a bell from Sensei, then _all of us_ will be sent back to the Academy regardless?"

She shot an accused look to Ito, but the one getting looked at was too busy worrying about Naruto's announcement himself he didn't have time to pay attention to Haruna's glare.

"That isn't fair, is it?" he said dubiously, "Why must all three must fail if there's only a person fails?"

"You three are a team," Naruto answered shortly, "When you become Genin, and then Chuunin, the two people beside you right now will be the one that work together with you, your team-mates that you trust your life on to. In a mission, you three must coordinate everything into perfection. A mistake done by a single member can compromise not only the success of the mission, but also the safety of all members of the team."

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, before continuing,

"…This is not a test of your worthiness as an individual Ninja," he said composedly, "This is a test of your worthiness as a single, unified team. If you three cannot be as one in this test, then all of you simply do not possess adequate traits to become Genins."

Although he looked calm and composed, Naruto said what he just said in a way that was filled with such intensity that it immediately dwarfed any intentions from those three to retort back. Both Haruna and Ito still showed obvious disagreement to the test method, obviously, but they apparently decided that it could be dangerous to further disagree with the person who was supposed to be their inspector for this test.

Kenji, however, decided in the end that he did not feel enough just yet.

"…So basically we have to work together to get all of those bells from you, Sensei. No exception," he said, "…What methods are we allowed in using?"

"Everything," Naruto grinned to Kenji, "You can try everything. In fact, you can just dismiss the thought of holding back even a little, because you need to throw everything you've got on me if you wish to succeed."

"Even if it's dangerous?" Kenji said again.

"Yes," Naruto nodded promptly, "You three have to come to me with the intent to _kill_; otherwise none of you will be able to successfully complete the objective given in this test."

"With intent to kill?" Haruna said in disbelief, "That's way too…"

-BOOOM!-

"Whoa!" Ito fell backwards as he jumped out of sheer surprise.

Because all of a sudden, some sort of an explosion occurred right in front of their eyes, and the place where Naruto just sat a second before now was covered with a relatively thick amount of white smoke.

Like Ito, Haruna clearly didn't expect that to happen, because she also had that very surprised look on her face.

They both turned their attention to Kenji, which apparently has stood back up on his feet and threw something to Naruto's direction just a second ago.

…

"…Man…" Ito mumbled, "Did you just do that?" He looked at the cloud of smoke.

"That's not good, Kenji-kun!" Haruna said panicky, "Sensei hasn't said start yet! You can't just throw some bombs on him or something without warning!"

Kenji didn't say anything.

His eyes seemed focused to his front.

Gradually, the smoke dispersed, and not long after that those three could see through the view clearly.

There's no one there. Naruto was gone, nowhere to be found. The only thing that was there on the place where Naruto sat before were three pairs of shurikens stuck into the ground, and nothing more.

...

"…Wha…?" Haruna said, confused.

"I didn't throw _bombs_ at him," Kenji said—although his face looked calm, his heart-beat started to beat at a more rapid pace than before, his body immediately felt tense, "We're not even Genins yet, how am I supposed to carry _bombs_? ……I only threw a couple of shurikens."

He walked to the shurikens on the ground to pick them up. He returned them inside a small bag tightened on his right thigh. His expression looked kind of stunned.

"Then what's the deal with the explosion and the smoke…?" Ito asked again.

"It was the result of my shurikens hitting Sensei…" Kenji muttered, "…Or rather, his Bunshin."

"Bunshin…?" Ito looked surprised.

"So wait…" Haruna said, "Are you trying to say that Uzumaki-Sensei that just talked to us… just asked us for introduction… the one that surprised us by appearing all of a sudden before…… He was nothing more than just a Bunshin?"

"Yeah… no…" Kenji looked unsure, "…I mean, I don't know. The one that first appeared before us seemed to be the real one—or at least I _think_ he was real. Then, I guess, sometime during our conversation with him, Uzumaki-Sensei somehow replaced himself with a Bunshin and then hid somewhere else. I am not sure, but the moment when he asked me my name—I think by that time we have actually spoken with a Bunshin. Right at that moment."

"No way man!" Ito shouted disbelievingly, "I didn't see him doing any hand-seals whatsoever! You usually need to perform hand-seals to create Bunshins, right?"

"Ito is correct…" Haruna muttered slowly—like she's still trying to digest all that happened in front of her, "Even a Jounin cannot perform Jutsus without hand-seals…… He must have performed it… though……"

"Yeah… Maybe he did it while we're not paying attention…" Kenji mused.

"Not paying attention?" Ito remarked, "I've got my eyes on him the whole time! He didn't perform any hand-seals! So how it's possible…?"

"Maybe he did it so fast our eyes couldn't catch it," Kenji replied slowly, although even he couldn't even believe his own answer.

…However, if that's true, that was truly unbelievable. Kenji was sure… In fact, he had _positively _no doubts that the one that first appeared, the one that suddenly stood behind him earlier was no clone—it was the real Uzumaki-Sensei. Yet, sometime during their conversation, that Jounin managed to replace his real self with a Bunshin without him, Haruna, or Ito noticing at all, although they were speaking directly face to face… Either Uzumaki-Sensei performed it without any hand-seals, which's impossible, or his hand-seals were so fast they couldn't see it although he was supposed to be right in front of him…

No wonder he felt kind of strange earlier. Turned out they were speaking to a Bunshin…

…

-Brrr-

Kenji looked to his hands. Not surprisingly, he found that he has involuntarily trembled, albeit slightly. His legs almost gave away too, if not for his quick reaction of firming them up.

It was like all of a sudden he stood before a gigantic wall… an immeasurably gigantic wall. Well, Uzumaki-Sensei was supposedly a former student of one of the Legendary Sannins…… he's a Jounin… plus there's a fact that he managed to survive the Legendary War…

…So it's only natural that he was strong…

But…

...Was the difference between them and Uzumaki-Sensei really _that_ far?

…It's like heaven and earth…

…

"Well, nevertheless," Haruna was the first to break the silence since both Kenji and Ito seemed to have lost inside their thoughts, "We need to come up with a plan. We need to be able to take those bells before noon, otherwise we will fail the inspection…"

Kenji took a deep breath.

"Yeah, that's true," he said, "Well, first we need to find where the real Uzumaki-Sensei is hiding. And then…"

"That's going to be hard, man……" Ito muttered, "If he's the kind of person that can perform hand-seals so fast we can't even see them, I don't know what kind of plan that would work on him…"

"Well, Kenji-kun saw through his Bunshin, though!" Haruna tried to sound optimistic, "And anyways, I really don't believe they devised an exam test where the ones taking it would have no chance whatsoever to succeed. If we work together, I'm sure we can make it!"

"……Let's go," Kenji signaled the rest of his team-mates—unlike Haruna, he didn't look too optimistic, but that didn't mean that he's willing to throw the towels without any fight.

"Let's do it." he said.

* * *

"_Hey_, _pssshh_, _looooook_."

"_What_? _Where_…?"

"_Theeree_! _Loook_!"

Whispers traveled between the three beginner ninjas that currently lying down under the guise of long string of thick bushes. Undoubtedly, they were trying to hide their presence, while at the same time locked their eyes onto their primarily target in this test, which of course was…

"…_Hey_…" Haruna whispered as low as she possibly could, "_That's Uzumaki-Sensei_,_ right_?"

"……_What the_…?" Ito muttered quietly.

He looked bewildered. In fact, from the look visible on the faces of his team-mates, they, just like he, were also plunged into a state of bewilderment.

…It's no wonder they looked bewildered… because right at this moment, their eyes were treated by a very odd and peculiar sight.

It was the sight of _two _Narutos, in the middle of what looked like a very exciting game of cards.

…

"No way!" shouted the first Naruto in surprise, "How come you can pull an Ace from the deck?"

"Heeheehee," the second, very identical-looking Naruto, answered, "It's only a matter of skills, my friend. My skills are in whole different league compared to you!"

"No way!" said the first Naruto again with a persisted look, "There's no other way! You must have been cheating on me!"

"Oh come on, don't be a sore loser now…" the second Naruto replied gleefully, "You're embarrassing, you know that? And since you are me, and I am you, you're embarrassing me by making me embarrassed because of your embarrassing act. So stop it."

"Let's play one more game!" the first one insisted, "And this time…!"

He quickly performed a hand-seal, and then…

-Poof!-

A smoke erupted, and when it was cleared immediately after, there's suddenly a third Naruto sitting in the middle of the first and the second Naruto.

"Hello," said the third Naruto. He smiled widely.

"Stop smiling like a freak!" commanded the first Naruto, "You!" he pointed at the third Naruto, "You keep an eye on him!" he pointed at the second Naruto, "We will play once more! This time I will up the bet _tenfold_, no backing down!"

"Can't we just be friends already?" said the third Naruto, "No matter what, we—well, you, me, and you, which is basically _me_—will still win the game anyways no matter what, so why all the anger?"

"Don't ask me, ask him," said the second Naruto with a condescending smile, "He's the one acting like a sore loser…"

"Shut up!" the first Naruto was all fired up, "Let's play!"

…

……

"…_What the hell is that_?" Ito whispered—all his life, he has never been treated to such a spectacle before, "_What is he doing_?"

"_Well_… _that_'_s him playing cards with his own Bunshins_,_ I guess_…" Haruna whispered back—her face looked _really _amused, "…_I've never seen anyone doing that with Bunshins_,_ though_…"

Despite the fact that she was nowhere close to her goal in the test, she went giggling.

"_Sensei is a pretty funny guy_," she whispered again.

Haruna might find the spectacle to be funny, but apparently Kenji thought just the otherwise. He gazed directly at three Narutos playing cards with a very serious look on his face.

He's attempting to analyze the situation.

…_The fact that he replaced himself with a Bunshin back then signified that he is a man filled with precaution and good planning_… he said inside his mind, _he must have thought that one of us would attack him without warning_……_ well_, _I guess it's to be expected since the stake here is the opportunity to become an official Konoha Genin_…

He continued to muse to himself,

_And now_, _what he's trying to accomplish by revealing himself in the open such as that_? Kenji stared seriously at the Narutos playing cards, _I mean, playing cards in the middle of an inspection with his own Bunshins_? _And he's loud too_… _it's as if he's intentionally trying to reveal his location to us_. _If he's not trying to hide, then why should he replace himself with a Bunshin back then at the beginning_?

…_Is he trying to challenge us_? _Is he trying to say that he doesn't have to hide himself in order to defeat us three_? _Is he trying to test us here_? _Well_, _I suppose he does_, _seeing that this is an exam and all that_…_ I bet he's planning something by revealing himself in the open like that_…

…_Although_……

..._Perhaps this is also a part of his plan_—_making us confused by doing unusual things_…… _Perhaps he's just trying to make us careful_… _too careful_… _so instead of actually doing something_, _we waste our time needlessly worrying and plotting unnecessary plans_…

…

"WHAT THE?" the first Naruto yelled again as he put down his share of cards on the ground, "How come you always get the good cards?"

"Like I said, this is just a difference of skills between us…" the second Naruto said composedly with a satisfied look on his face.

"Hey you!" the first Naruto shot a glaring look at the third Naruto, "He's cheating, right? He's cheating!"

"No, he wasn't," said the third Naruto casually, "Well, even if he did, I didn't see it with my eyes, so I couldn't really tell."

"Sheesh! Open your eyes wide, will ya?" the first Naruto said demandingly, "I am sure he's cheating! There's no other explanation besides that since he was always able to draw good cards, and left me stuck with mediocre ones!"

"Like I said…" the second one muttered before he was cut off mid-way by the first one,

"Be quiet!" he said, "ONE MORE TIME!"

…

…_Cheh_……

Kenji looked annoyed.

_Whatever_'_s the case_, _clearly we're being underestimated here_……

He nudged Ito's rib softly while still keeping his eyes intact on Naruto.

"_Hey_," he whispered, "_Listen_. _Clearly we're being underestimated here_, _but I believe we can take those bells away from him if we're cooperating right now_."

"_Yeah_, _yeah_," both Ito and Haruna nodded in agreement.

"_He couldn't have possibly known our fighting styles yet_…" Kenji added, "_So let's make that into our advantage_—_we'll surprise him_, _and use that chance to snag those stupid bells so that we can pass this stupid exam_…"

"_You have something in your mind_?" Haruna mouthed off her response, "_Any plan_?"

Kenji nodded.

"_Okay_, _we need to be extra careful_, _so listen up_……"

…

……

"So, like…" the second Naruto picked up a card from the deck.

"What?" the first Naruto said as he analyzed his cards, he looked annoyed.

"What do you think about those three, right?" the third Naruto added to the conversation, "I'm about to ask you guys the same thing…"

The annoyed face suddenly disappeared—the first Naruto smiled.

"…They're good," he said appreciatively, "…Perhaps even better compared to me, Sakura-chan, and Sasuke back when we first met Kakashi-Sensei in our Genin test."

"You think so?" the second one laid down one of his cards on the ground, "Even though you haven't seen anything out of them yet?"

"Well, I got this feeling that's really the case… which is quite alright, mind you. This means the future of Konoha is secured," the first one touched his chest, "Yeah, they managed to hide themselves quite well too. Took me a while to notice."

"…But you know they're in those bushes, right?" the third one asked, his eyes leaned to the direction where Kenji, Ito, and Haruna hid.

"Of course," the first Naruto nodded casually as he picked up a card from the deck, "For beginners, they're really good, though. Especially that one boy—he looks sharp."

The second Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well he noticed the first Bunshin, right?" he said, "Though it's probably just luck, more than anything…"

The first Naruto smiled.

"Well…" he said, "Their movements right now indicate that they are going to do something here…"

The second and third Naruto stood still for a second.

"Hm, yeah, it seems so…" the third one commented, "The sharp one stays where he is, while the other boy makes a trip around us in the left, and the girl makes a trip to the right… You're right, though—for beginners, they do handle their movements nicely. Ordinary people most probably wouldn't be able to notice them."

"I'd say they're trying to surround us." the second one concluded.

"No doubt about it," the first one said, "Well… let them do what they want. It's interesting to see what they will try to do in order to obtain these bells…"

He shifted his cards, and then,

"…Aaaaand, there you go! My cards!"

He laid down his cards on the ground with a mightily satisfied look on his face.

"Beat _that_, sucker!" the first Naruto laughed maniacally.

The second one stared at the cards the first Naruto put on the ground.

He smiled. Then he put down his own set of cards.

"…Ouch," the third Naruto commented.

The first Naruto looked at the second's card in disbelief. He stood up, and then he said,

"Aaaah forget it!" he said with an annoyed look on his face, "I don't play with a cheater!"

Then, he looked at his east. From there, Kenji suddenly jumped out from the bushes—his body lowered down, his hands in readied positions… his face looked intense. Undoubtedly, he's about to do something.

"…Besides," the first Naruto said as he interlocked his fingers, "Play time is over."

-Poof!- -Poof!-

The second and third Naruto dispersed, leaving only gushes of smoke behind.

"Take this, Sensei!" Kenji shouted spiritedly, "Hyaaah!"

He catapulted his hands forward, and from them unleashed multitude of shurikens zapping at high speed towards Naruto.

"And this!" he threw again—this time a set of Kunais, "And this! And _this_!"

Unbelievably, he threw on what would appear an endless stream of weapons towards Naruto. One would normally wonder where he could store all of those weapons on that tiny frame of his, because undoubtedly the small supply bag on his right thigh wouldn't be able to fit all of those in.

But Naruto didn't really wonder about it.

When he saw innumerable weapons flying towards him, his face looked unperturbed. If anything, instead of looking surprised, he looked kind of amused.

"……Wow," he said to himself, "That's pretty good."

He squint his eyes, and then just like that, he saw through it.

…

"Heh," Naruto smiled as he pulled out a single Kunai out from his pocket. He then just stood there, motionless, as the multitude of weapons bolted towards him at high speed. He didn't show any inclination whatsoever to move away.

The first wave of shurikens has arrived, but unbelievably, Naruto still didn't move even for an inch. However, the strangest of things then happened. The shurikens Kenji threw unbelievably just zapped right through Naruto, like he wasn't even there! Then, the ones that have made way through him suddenly vanished on mid-air behind Naruto's back… -Poof!-, -Poof!-, -Poof!-, just like that.

Naruto swung his hand casually with the Kunai just once.

-Thang!-

A clear sound of impact clearly signified that he has deflected something. It was a shuriken, thrown to the other direction because of the deflection, and dived successfully towards the ground.

The second wave of weapons arrived, but just like before, most of them just moved through Naruto like he was a ghost. Those weapons also immediately disappeared behind his back, and once again, Naruto swung his Kunai coolly, and the previous result was re-enacted. There's a clear sound of deflection, and a Kunai was thrown into the same direction as the shuriken that Naruto previously deflected, and successfully stuck into the ground, right exactly besides the shuriken.

…

Naruto then smiled to Kenji, who looked at him with a clear sense of disbelief splattered all over his face.

_Pretty impressive_, Naruto said to himself, _Most of those weapons he threw at me were nothing more than illusions_. _Very convincing ones_, _though_. _Using myriads of illusionary weapons as diversion_, _he threw in some real ones in there too_. _Those who couldn_'_t see through it would waste their time trying to avoid or deflect the fake weapons, without even seeing the real ones that move for the kill_. _For a kid of his age_, _to be able to create so many illusions moving at that speed like that at the same time is quite a feat_…

"Damn!" Kenji muttered under his breath.

_He saw through all that_! he thought furiously.

"Haruna!" he suddenly shouted.

-Wooooosh!-

Out of nowhere, suddenly a long rope flew towards Naruto from his back.

Naruto immediately turned to face it, and he could see the young Kunoichi was the one holding the other end of the rope, her face looked really tense.

_Rope_? Naruto mused to himself. He looked intrigued.

_And she controlled it with chakra_, _eh_?

All the while suppressing his curiosity as to what kind of Jutsu he's actually facing right now, he instinctively swung his Kunai to the direction of the rope, with the intention of cutting it sideways.

When she saw Naruto was about to cut her rope, Haruna immediately twitched her hands a little.

The effect was nothing short of spectacular. Unbelievably, the rope suddenly moved like a snake, and with a swerve that could only be described as graceful, it swiftly evaded Naruto's Kunai attack.

Naruto looked surprised, but before he could fully appreciate how a rope could actually maneuver itself like that, Haruna yanked his hands, and the rope with blinding speed suddenly dashed towards him, moved around Naruto, and tightened itself on him, effectively binding the blonde Jounin down mercilessly.

"Oh, wow," that was the only comment he muttered to the fact that he got captured.

He looked impressed.

_A rope controlled with chakra_… _she could move it as she pleases, manipulating its movements freely_… _Very interesting_…

Naruto tried to use his strength to break free from the bind of the rope, but the harder he tried, the more the rope strengthened its bind on him.

_Hmm_… Naruto thought, _So_…_ she controls the rope in a way that it will automatically strengthen itself should the prey tries to escape_… _Basically_, _the harder you try to escape_, _the harder the rope will tighten its grip on you_… _I've never seen a Jutsu like this before_… _Quite something_… _I wonder if it's also applicable to other things other than just ropes_…

He looked towards the direction of Haruna, who looked mightily satisfied with herself on her accomplishment of being able to capture Naruto with her manipulation of the rope.

He smiled.

"Ito! Now!" Kenji shouted once more.

"On it!" a sound replied to Kenji's shout.

Naruto looked at the direction of the replier, and there he saw the other boy, Ito performed a hand-seal.

"Heere I goo!"

He lifted his right hand up, and then… perhaps the strangest, most out of this world of things happened.

-Twinggg!-

His right hand suddenly stretched. It stretched like it was made of rubber, and it moved towards Naruto in a somewhat careful pace. Ito himself didn't move at all, but his right hand extended longer, and longer, and it's getting closer and closer to Naruto. It was a very peculiar sight, seeing a person's hand stretched all the way like that—it was a sight that made even Naruto gazed unblinkingly.

_He can stretch his hand like a rubber_…? Naruto said to himself, his face looked _really _amused, _Woah_, _what an interesting ability_!

"How's that, Sensei!" Ito shouted proudly as his right hand continued to approach Naruto closer and closer, "Pretty cool, eh? I can stretch any part of my body whenever I want, for as _long _as I want!"

"…Somehow the move looses all of its coolness when he says that… It even sounds kind of icky…" Haruna mumbled with an annoyed look on her face, "…H…hurry up, will you!"

She looked a bit tired.

"Be careful!" Kenji said from where he stood—he looked cautiously at Naruto, like he's afraid that the Jounin would try to do something funny although Haruna's ropes appeared to have secured him in a way that he just couldn't possibly do anything more.

…

Naruto closed his eyes as his face turned down on the ground.

He couldn't hold his smile.

Truly, he just couldn't.

…_These three are good_, he said to himself, _the fact that they persisted in using long-range Jutsus signified that they're being cautious about the possibility of close-range encounters with me_—_perhaps they thought that they would have lesser chance of success if that should happens_, _afraid I might do something to them in close-combat_._ And so they devised a plan to use various long-range Jutsus to subdue me while they stand away in a safe distance so that I cannot do anything to them_. _Their abilities suited that plan well_. _They must have also calculated the fact that I didn't know anything about their fighting styles_…

Naruto sighed.

He didn't pay any attention at all to Ito's stretched hand that's getting closer and closer to him—it's obvious what the target was: the bells that were attached to Naruto's vest.

…

"Aaaah…" Naruto suddenly said aloud—enough to alarm Kenji so that he immediately made a battle stance, Haruna yelped in surprise, and Ito to halt his hand stretching temporarily, "…You three are good. Really. You should all be proud of yourself that you can do this far, even for me as your opponent. True, I didn't know about your fighting styles so that certainly put me in a disadvantage, but nevertheless, you three are truly admirable."

Ito looked mightily proud to hear that, and Haruna looked like she's having the best day of her life—although her rope's grip on Naruto was just still as strong as before. Kenji, however, didn't look all too pleased.

He signaled Ito to continue his hand stretching, while he gazed unrelentingly towards Naruto. He also gave Haruna the signal not to let her rope loosen up even for just a bit. He felt like the Jounin was up to something, though honestly he couldn't figure it out just what kind of thing Naruto would be able to perform in his current situation.

...

Naruto suddenly opened his eyes.

"Well…" he said, "…I guess it's time to do something on _my_ end."

* * *

"_…ji_-_kun_……"

…Huh…?

"_…Kenji_-_kun_…"

……Wha…?

"Kenji-kun!"

Kenji opened his eyes.

The very first thing he saw was the faces of his team-mates, both looking at him worryingly.

Then a sharp sensation of dizziness assaulted him almost immediately.

"Ouch!" he let out a soft yelp, "Uuuhh…"

It felt like someone just cracked his head open and mess around with its insides. His entire body felt funny too, like someone just electrocuted him with a very large cable or something.

It took a while, but he soon realized that he was lying on the ground, with his team members sitting on the ground around him, both looked somewhat tired.

Ito grabbed his back, and helped him to sit.

Kenji's eyes were fuzzy for a moment, but it didn't take long for them to clear up.

"You okay?" Ito asked worriedly.

"…He seems okay," Haruna let out a sigh of relief.

"Wh…wha…" Kenji muttered, "…What happened? I…"

"You shouldn't move too much first," a voice suddenly told him.

Kenji's head immediately swiveled to the direction of the one speaking to him. It was Naruto, and currently the Jounin was sitting on the ground in front of him and his team-mates, grinning widely.

"Uzumaki……Sensei…?" Kenji said slowly, "…B…but, wh…wha…?"

He looked to Ito, and then to Haruna, expecting an answer.

"Don't look at me, man," Ito let out a sigh, "I am as clueless as you are. What I know is, back then suddenly Uzumaki-Sensei, _somehow_, escaped from Haruna's rope, and then he did something to me, and then… Well…"

Haruna didn't appear to know what's going on too—although she's now looking at Naruto with unmistakable sign of admiration plastered all over her face.

"Yeah… Uzumaki-Sensei…" she muttered, "……How did you do that? I am pretty sure I got you tight with my rope… but…"

She made a gesture with her hands.

"Suddenly… boom! You're gone… and the next thing I know was that you suddenly stood in front of me and… well… did something…" she trailed off with her words, trying to re-imagine what happened, although in the end she just gave up, "Then I guess I just… passed out…"

Naruto didn't answer her—he's just still busy grinning all by himself.

_Ugh_, _that_'_s right_…… Kenji mumbled to himself, _he suddenly just_… _vanished from my eyes_… _I still caught his movement somewhat when he attacked both Ito and Haruna_…_ but before I could do anything_, _he moved behind me and did something to the back of my neck and then_……

He couldn't remember anything anymore after that.

"…What did you do to us, Sensei?" Ito asked Naruto, "I feel… kind of funny…"

"Oh, well, I just hit something that made you all fell asleep for a while," Naruto answered playfully, "Don't worry, you'll be fine… I didn't hit you all that hard. In fact, I think you three are going to feel refreshed tonight, since I bet neither of you have slept that soundly in a long time."

Hearing Naruto said the word 'tonight' sent a jolt of realization to Kenji. So much, in fact, that he immediately stood up and turned his head to the sky.

To his great discontent, from the looks of things, noon has long since gone. The sun has drifted to the west, and the color of dusk already started to transpire across the skies.

He hastily looked back at Ito and Haruna.

"…But the test…" was all that he could say before he heard something: the sound of the bells.

He looked at Naruto—and by the time his eyes caught the sight of three bells still safely attached to Naruto's vest, a jolt of realization once again dawned upon him.

This time, however, it sapped all of his enthusiasm. His legs felt shaky, and he fell to the ground, his face looked defeated entirely.

"…We have failed, Kenji-kun," Haruna said quietly—like Kenji, she too had that defeated look on her face, "…We weren't able to take those bells away from Uzumaki-Sensei… We have failed the test…"

"Yeah…" Ito added as he tapped Kenji's shoulder lightly—his expression looked kind of down too, "But don't worry, there will always be another chance, and next time we'll succeed for sure."

Haruna then said something else, and then Ito said something else, but Kenji couldn't hear them. Their words seemed nothing more than just a passing whisper to him right now—a blur, a haze…… He just couldn't hear a thing anymore. All that he could see right now was a vision of the disappointed look of his parents' faces…… when they later realized that he has failed to become a Genin…… that he has failed to pass the test, to fulfill their expectations………

…That was all that he could see right now……

…

……

Naruto saw all the dramas that happened in front of him without saying even a single word.

For a moment, he just gazed at the sight of both Ito and Haruna trying to console the very saddened and frustrated Kenji, and said or did nothing.

After a while though, a smile formed on his lips.

Casually, Naruto de-attached the bells on his vest, and then he said,

"Hey, you three."

When Kenji, Ito, and Haruna turned their attention to him, Naruto immediately threw each one of them a bell—exactly one for each person.

…

They were clearly shocked by this sudden act from him. In fact, 'shocked' was clearly an understatement. They—most particularly Kenji—looked stunned beyond belief.

"Congratulations," Naruto said with a big smile on his face, "You three have completed the test. You all are officially Konoha Genins as per this moment."

…

……

It took them a while to fully digest what _the hell_ just happened. When they realized that Naruto just practically gave them a bell and congratulated them on successfully completed the test, they all looked positively stunned and speechless.

…Well, it was obvious that the 'speechless' part was temporary though, because what happened immediately after that was perhaps one of the loudest screams of joy Naruto ever heard in his entire life, with the perpetrators none other than Ito and Haruna.

"WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!" Ito immediately stood up and jumping in joy left and right—he looked very, very enthusiastic as he repeatedly shot his hands to the sky, "WOOOOO-HOOOOOOO! WOOO-HOOOOO! WOOO-HOOOOO!"

It would appear that Haruna didn't want to lose to Ito in showing her enthusiasm too. She expressed her feelings in even a more conspicuous way: without even thinking, it seemed, she shrieked with joy and suddenly jumped towards Naruto and hugged him tightly. She did all that with such force Naruto was pushed backwards and fell to the ground. Naruto was surprised, of course, although he didn't say anything because he didn't want to interrupt her sudden overflow of excitement.

Haruna released her hug immediately the moment her senses returned to her though, and she blushed furiously. However, no amount of blush could erase that big smile on her face, and it was safe enough to assume that this moment could be one of the biggest moments of her life.

Kenji, on the other hand, looked a bit confused. Although it was obvious that the strain of his face has lessened considerably because of Naruto's announcement, and he was very excited because of it—he's still confused nevertheless. He couldn't understand why Naruto would let them all pass when it was clear that they had failed what he asked them to do in the first place.

"…B…but why? Sensei?" Kenji looked curious, "Why do you let us pass?"

"Who cares?" Ito remarked.

"I want to know!" Kenji persisted, "We should have failed, and yet you let us pass. The test…… it was all a lie?"

Naruto scratched his hair.

"…Well, no," he said, "Actually, the rules really do state that if you fail to fulfill the requirement I impose upon you during the test, then you three cannot become Genins. Actually, you three did fail, if we go strictly by the rules."

"…Then why?" Kenji asked again.

Naruto smiled.

"Rules are important, to be sure," he said coolly, "But sometimes, you need to realize that there are more important things than rules."

"Such as…?" Kenji said.

"Such as the fact that you three are excellent Ninjas," Naruto answered casually, causing a beaming smile to appear in both Ito and Haruna's faces, "Such as the fact that I think you three are more than worthy to become a part of proud Konoha Ninjas. You worked together well, you performed your Jutsus admirably, you thought your plans well… You all have shown me that you have great potential in each and every one of you. So I decided that it's only fair to let you pass through this exam."

He put up a teasing expression on his face.

"Or do you three want me to just fail you here and now?" he said playfully.

"NO WE'RE NOT!" Ito immediately remarked as he smacked Kenji's head from behind.

"N…no, no, no, no, no!" Haruna hastily added too, her face looked a bit panicky, "Don't do that, Sensei! W…we trust your judgment fully! If you think that we are worthy to pass through your test, then who we are to defy your judgment? Hahaha…hahaha! Right, Kenji-kun?"

"……Tch…" Kenji muttered under his breath—he still looked curious, although the look of satisfaction on his face because of the fact that Naruto was willing to let them become Genins was clearly unmistakable.

"Well, since we are finished with all that, let me say one last thing to each and every one of you…" Naruto said quietly—he said that in such a way that made the three new Genins turned their attention to him fully, albeit their excitable feelings.

Naruto turned his eyes to Ito.

"You said that the reason you wanted to become a Ninja is so that you can become the strongest person there is," he said meaningfully, "That is an admirable dream—but you must never lose sight of yourself because of that dream. I have seen too many proofs to say that those looking for strength……" Naruto's expression changed a bit, as did the tone of which he spoke, "…oftentimes seek strength in places no one should be allowed to seek. Just remember: the strongest Ninja is not the one who can defeat the most opponents… the strongest Ninja is the one who can protect those that are precious to him under any circumstances, no matter what."

"………" Ito looked stunned. Clearly, he didn't expect that Naruto would all of a sudden give him such meaningful advice. He seemed at lost for words and didn't know what he was supposed to say.

Naruto turned to Haruna, who immediately looked nervous.

"You said that you wanted to help your family, and also you wanted to become strong, just like the Fifth Hokage," Naruto's expression changed again when he mentioned that name, although he's still smiling, "That's an admirable thing. Never forget that intention no matter what. Never lose the thought that you want to become strong not in order to serve yourself, but in order to serve the ones you loved the most. Keep remembering that, and I am sure you can become an even greater Ninja then myself, and even the Fifth Hikage."

"I…I will!" Haruna nodded hastily, her face filled with glee.

Lastly, Naruto gazed at Kenji.

"And you want the one you care to acknowledge you, so that's why you wanted to become Ninja," Naruto said softly, "It is an admirable thing, but you can only achieve that dream by first acknowledging yourself. It's good to worry about what others think about you, but you are first and foremost your own self. Do not forget your identity. Do not forget the fact that you are unique, the fact that you are special. Do not sacrifice your own self blindly just in order to please others. Remember that."

Kenji stared at Naruto for a moment, before he nodded slightly.

"Well then!" Naruto smacked his own thighs with his hands, his face grinning widely, "That ends the training! As from this point forward, you three are now officially Konoha Genins and members of Konoha Team Five! Congratulations!"

Once again, the word "speechless" was thrown out from the window.

* * *

**-Konoha Streets**

"Saaakuraaa!"

"Eh, oh, wah!"

Sakura was so surprised by someone suddenly calling her that she almost dropped all the things that she's carrying. She carried numerous documents: scrolls, books, papers, etc. It was a wonder that she still managed to carry them all with just hands.

Thankfully, she was swift with her hands and able to prevent those documents to fall down.

Nevertheless, she looked kind of annoyed, and immediately turned her head to see the perpetrator of that 'almost-everything-fell-to-the-ground' thing.

"Hiya!" the perpetrator gave her a greeting as she arrived next to her.

It was Yamanaka Ino.

Just like Sakura and Naruto, she's now a Jounin too, one that specialized in espionage and information gathering sort of missions instead of combat. Because of the nature of her missions, however, she's still involved heavily with the rest of her team-mates, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji, because those three really worked the best when they had each other as supports. So, unlike Naruto who often took missions single-handedly, they tend to get (and chose) missions that stuck them together like glue.

"Ino…" Sakura muttered, "Just got back from a mission?"

"Yeah!" Ino replied heartily—although she clearly saw Sakura was having some difficulty carrying things around with her hands, she didn't immediately offer her assistance… in fact, it seemed that she just wouldn't offer it altogether, "Kind of tiring, since we need to collect information from the most dangerous of places…… but the pay's kind of worth it anyway."

"That's good to hear," Sakura heaved the documents with her hands and resumed her walking, now with Ino by her side.

"So, how are things with the Hospital right now? Good?" Ino launched a casual conversation.

"I am not sure 'Good' is the word…" Sakura answered, "Because, you know, the busier we are simply means that there are more and more people getting injured. I guess… 'hectic' is more like the word…"

"Well, I am sure you have done a good job, because even Shikamaru admitted to me back then that he was glad to have you in charge of the Hospital," Ino said casually, "Saves people's life, he said. Well, that's one thing I agreed with him on."

Despite her current predicament, it was hard for Sakura not to smile appreciatively to the comment Ino just made.

"…Thanks," she said, "……I guess…"

Ino laughed.

"…So…" Ino said, "You're not accepting any missions, aren't you?"

"I'd love to, but Hokage-sama rarely ever let me in on a mission these days," Sakura sighed, "I deal mostly with the Hospital businesses now, although it is, in some ways, sometimes more difficult than even the most difficult S mission there is. I can't really complain about it, though, since it is my responsibility."

Her face suddenly turned cheerful.

"Oh," she added quickly, "But I just met with the Sixth, and he just let me in on a mission, together with Naruto, and Sai. Finally, some breaks from hospital works, eh? Hahaha…" She laughed a little.

"A mission?" Ino said, "With Naruto and Sai-kun? Woah, three Jounins at the same time? It's not information-gathering mission, right? Don't want you to take away our team's specialty, now!"

"The details are a bit sketchy, but we're going to the Sand," Sakura looked at Ino teasingly, "Although that is all that you can know, unfortunately. Top secret stuff!"

"Good luck with that…" Ino lifted her shoulders, "I don't envy you, you know. I don't like going to Sand. So…… barren… and…. dusty."

They both continued to walk down the streets of Konoha. It was a testament to Konoha's bustling activities that even though soon the day would change from day to night, the streets were still filled with seemingly innumerable amount of people doing their businesses. The atmosphere all around was definitely busy, and it didn't seem like it would let off anytime sooner, if ever.

…

"So, what are you going to do now?" Ino asked again.

"I am going to store all of these documents to my house," Sakura answered, "And then I'll look for Naruto. I haven't told him about the mission from the Sixth yet."

"Naruto, eh……" Ino said in a playful tone, "Sooo…how things going around with Naruto these days, Sakura?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura replied without even looking at her.

"Oh I don't know," Ino said teasingly, "You tell me."

"……What should I tell you about?" this time Sakura was looking at Ino with a 'what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about' look on her face, "Me and Naruto… we're just… well…… _us_. I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

Ino still had that teasing look on her face, though she didn't say anything else.

"Anyway, like I said, I still have to look for him…" Sakura mused, "Perhaps I should go to the Training Ground… and…"

"Well now!" Ino suddenly interrupted her, "It seems that you don't have to look at him after all! Look over there, Sakura!"

She pointed to a direction, which Sakura immediately turned to with her eyes.

…

At the other side of the road, the most peculiar—but nevertheless _charming_—of sights occurred.

It was Naruto, with three children walking together around him: two boys and a girl.

One boy looked cautious around Naruto, but the rest of his friends did not. They were busy talking with Naruto, all with enthusiastic looks on their faces. Sometimes Naruto made some silly faces, and they all laughed together in unison. It seemed that Naruto has been fully booked by those kids, and he couldn't escape even if he wanted to.

"…Oh wow," Ino said, "Are those Genins hovering all around him like that?"

"Yeah, most probably," Sakura said softly, "This is the day when he's supposed to inspect a Genin entry exam. Guess he's passing them all."

…

The sight of Naruto, now a Jounin, hanging around a bunch of Genin Ninjas eager to talk to him about things was……

……Sakura didn't know how to put it into words, but it was definitely…

Somewhat… strange.

It managed to stir something inside her heart, though, and although she didn't really understand it, it made her entire body felt warm and cozy. Like she just could gaze at Naruto and the kids for forever, and she wouldn't get bored or tired whatsoever.

Naruto as a Sensei…

It made her felt…

…Strangely…

Comfortable…

…

……

Not for long for Naruto to notice Sakura and Ino at the other side of the road. When he did, he immediately said something to the Genins, which was responded immediately by disappointed looks, most particularly from the young girl.

They didn't really have any say on the matter, though. They nodded understandingly, and said their goodbyes to their Sensei.

When they're gone, Naruto quickly turned around to face Sakura and Ino again. He waved his hands energetically as he ran closer towards them.

"Heh," Ino said, "Jounin or not, Naruto is still Naruto, eh, Sakura?"

"Yeah…" Sakura answered, with her voice trailing off a bit.

"It's a bit weird, isn't it, seeing _that_ Naruto as a Jounin mentoring Genins…" Ino said again.

"Yeah…" Sakura replied, almost absent-mindedly.

…

"Hi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said cheerfully as soon as he arrived in front of Sakura and Ino, "And Ino! How're you?"

"Fine, thanks," Ino replied shortly—for some reason, she was gazing rather intently at Naruto.

"Woah, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said as he looked on the documents Sakura was carrying with her hands, "Need help with that?"

Sakura didn't reply his offer for help. In fact, she's not staring at Naruto's face right now. Instead, she was looking at Naruto's left thigh that was wrapped with white bandage.

Her expression looked serious.

"What…? Oh, this?" Naruto said as he looked on his left thigh, "Don't worry about it much, Sakura-chan. It's only a minor scratch."

"Ino, hold this for me for a while," Sakura handed over the documents she held to Ino, who was surprised by Sakura's sudden demand but didn't really have a chance to refuse. She awkwardly received the documents from Sakura.

Sakura sat down on her right knee as she inspected the bandage.

"When did you get this wound?" she asked.

"…Uh…" Naruto felt a bit awkward having Sakura watching her left thigh so intently like that—more especially because she's doing it in the middle of the street. Even Ino looked like she has some misgivings about Sakura's action, although she didn't say anything—not that Sakura would care even if she did say something anyways, "…Back on my mission. It was pretty tough—a lot of strong opponents, and I suppose I got a bit careless, so…"

"Why didn't you come to the hospital to get it fixed?" Sakura cut Naruto's words sternly—she did not seem to notice that some people crossing the street were looking at her funny because of her strange stance kneeling in front of Naruto with her eyes looking intently at his left thigh, "Why didn't you come to _me_?"

"Eh, it's nothing too serious, and I don't want to bother you with something trivial, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied casually, "It should heal quickly anyways. It's nothing to get worried about."

Sakura didn't say anything, though her face looked deathly serious. She extended her right hand and touched the bandage on Naruto's left thigh with her palm, a gesture that surprised Naruto so much he almost jumped backwards.

"Don't move," she said firmly, "Let me fix it."

Naruto immediately felt a comfortable sensation on his legs the moment Sakura channeled her chakra to fix the wound on his left thigh. Even after he managed to get inaugurated as a Jounin, the wonders of Medical Ninjutsus never failed to amaze him—how something that looked so simple could provide such a strong sense of safety and comfort.

It took about a minute, before Sakura finally let go of her right palm. She then carefully tore open Naruto's bandage, and to her relief she saw that the wound behind the bandage has been completely healed.

"There," she said coolly as she stood back up, "Done."

"Woah!" Naruto thumped his left leg on the ground over and over again, his face looked really happy, "You're right! I don't feel anything anymore!"

He gave Sakura a big grin.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan!" he said appreciatively, "You're still the best, as always!"

"Praises won't get you anywhere, Naruto," Sakura replied shortly, "Just remember to come straight to me every time you have some injuries, no matter how insignificant they might seem. No matter how busy I am, I won't treat your wounds as just some mere 'trivial' things."

"…Yeah, okay," Naruto said slowly, "Thanks, as always, Sakura-chan."

"Your welcome," Sakura nodded casually.

During their entire conversation, Ino was looking at Sakura, then at Naruto, then back to Sakura, then to Naruto, then to Sakura again. It seemed like she had something in her mind, though in the end she decided not to say anything about it.

"Thanks, Ino," Sakura received the documents back from Ino, who was inwardly impressed because of the simple fact that Sakura was able to lift those documents like it was nothing…… she held it only for a few minutes and her hands has already gotten sore, "Anyway, good that I meet you here, Naruto. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Talk to me about?" Naruto asked, "What about?"

…

Sakura then explained what happened between her and Kakashi before in Hokage's office. She neglected on saying the real exact details though, and just told him the fact that it was a personal request from the Sand's Kazekage, Gaara, and that they're going to tackle this mission together with Sai. She also, of course, mentioned that they're going to leave first thing tomorrow morning.

By the time she finished, Naruto looked excited.

"A mission together with you, and Sai?" Naruto looked happy, "Woah, haven't done that in the longest of time, have we, Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded.

"And it's a personal request from Gaara too!" Naruto looked even happier, "Haven't met with him for a long time. I wonder how well he's been doing with his position as the Kazekage of the Sand… Hmm……"

"You'd better get some rest, Naruto," Sakura told him as she unconsciously looked again at Naruto's left thigh—it was as if she's afraid the wound would suddenly open again although it was her that fixed it just a moment ago, "You just got back from an S-ranked mission. You'll need all the strength you have for tomorrow. Can't have us embarrassing Leaf in front of the Kazekage, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Naruto grinned, "I suppose I should just go back to my house first…… oh, but not before Ichiraku, of course!"

Sakura sighed.

"It's a wonder you are able to live this long with _nothing_ but Ramen inside your stomach, Naruto," she commented. She paused a little, before saying, "…How about if I come to your place to cook you something instead?"

Ino was so surprised by this sudden offer by Sakura she almost jumped. She didn't believe that Sakura just made that kind of offer to Naruto in such a casual way, like someone offering someone else a glass of tea or something. Thankfully, Sakura did not seem to notice Ino's behavior.

…

"…Nah," Naruto politely declined Sakura's offer—something that made Ino even _more_ surprised than before, "It's okay. I really want to have some Ramen, making me crazy while I'm in the middle of my mission back then, Sakura-chan. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well tonight without some Ichiraku Ramen filling my stomach!"

"Oh, okay… if you say so…" Sakura looked a bit disappointed by Naruto's refusal—truth be told, she was a bit surprised by it, though she didn't want to pursue the matter further, "…Don't forget that we're supposed to meet at the Village's gate tomorrow at six. Don't be late, okay?"

"We don't have Kakashi-Sensei in our team anymore, so it will be fine!" Naruto laughed heartily, "Anyway, I have to write a report for the Genin entrance exam I supervised. See you tomorrow, Sakura-chan!"

He turned around, and then,

-Poof!-

…Disappeared entirely behind a sudden gush of white smoke.

…

"…He's kind of reliable right now, isn't he?" Ino said to Sakura seconds after Naruto has gone, "I still can't believe he managed to become a Jounin, though. It's like a miracle."

"Naruto is Naruto," Sakura said softly, "If there's one thing that he truly excels in, it's the fact that he could always give surprises to people."

"I suppose that's true," Ino nodded.

She gazed at Sakura for a moment, and all of a sudden she had that playful expression on her face again.

"Although, I must say…" she said teasingly, "He's gotten pretty handsome, isn't he? Not yet at Sasuke-kun's level, of course, but slowly he's getting there…"

"……Really?" Sakura said after a short pause, "…I don't know, I haven't really noticed."

Ino sighed exasperatedly.

"Sometimes I just can't believe you, Sakura," she commented dully.

"…What?" Sakura looked at Ino in weird way.

"Never mind," Ino shook her head; she looked annoyed, "Anyways, I have to go now. Flower store needs attending."

"A master Jounin selling flowers," Sakura smiled, "Pretty amusing, don't you think so?"

"Whaat… ever…" Ino replied to Sakura's remark, "Bye, big-forehead!"

Before Sakura could have the chance to say Ino-Pig, the mind-transfer Kunoichi vanished behind a wall of white smoke, just like Naruto.

"Heh," was all Sakura said when Ino was gone. Even though they're Jounins right now, some things just never changed……

She heaved the documents she held again so that she could carry them more comfortably, and then resumed her walking.

…

She didn't realize, however, that someone from the crowd was watching her all this time from behind the shadows of a building…

…Watching her, with a slight smile on his face.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *


	3. Third Episode

-Noticed a number of mistakes yet again on the previous chapters…… Bollocks…

-I am not really sure about the length of chapters that I should post here. Which one is generally more preferable to the readers? Is it better to post short-length (around 10 pages of .doc format), medium-length (10-20 pages), long length (above 20 pages), or perhaps even extremely long length (30 pages and above) chapters?

-Special thanks to the folks down at the **Heaven and Earth**, a fan-site dedicated to the glorious thing that is Naruto and Sakura. Basically, the inspiration and the drive to write this story was born from them, although they wouldn't have _any_ idea who the heck I am since I have never actually posted in their forum, only lurking (hahaha). Strange as it may be: much thanks from me, guys.

-As usual, reviews, comments, criticisms, anything: all would be greatly appreciated.

**Pizza Blade**

* * *

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

_Third Episode_

* * *

"_The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden_, _a dim twilight_, _and a fountain singing to it_. _You and you alone make me feel that I am alive_. _Other men it is said have seen angels_, _but I have seen thee and thou art enough_."—**George Moore**

* * *

-**Konoha Administration Building**

It was busy, as usual, at the Konoha Administration Building, the one place that served not only as the place where the Hokage of Konoha took office, but also the place where all clients who wished to purchase Konoha's assistance came by. Naturally, it also served as the place where Ninja teams, be they Genins or Chuunins, received their missions. Jounins sometimes joined in too, although more often than not they tend to be more discreet about accepting a mission, and usually it was the Hokage himself that gave them one.

As such, the place was packed with many amounts of people. Genins, Chuunins, clients, administration staffs, all joined in one place. Naturally, the place was crowded and noisy with all the people doing business with each other, although that didn't void people from looking at a particular team of Genins standing in the middle of the room. First, it's because two people from that team acted quite erroneously for ones who were supposed to be Ninjas, and second because by acting like that they tend to create loud noises even in a room already filled with noises.

…

"Wha--?"

"For _real_, Sensei?"

The looks on both Haruna and Ito's faces were those of surprise, and then fast replaced by looks of disappointment.

"Yeah, sorry," the adult Ninja in front of them said apologetically, "Hokage-sama told me to inform Konoha Genin Team Five that your Sensei, Uzumaki Naruto-san, regretfully cannot lead your team for missions for a while. He has been assigned to a very important mission by Hokage-sama himself. Since that mission is a high-rank mission with great importance, he cannot bring you along with him."

"…For real?" Ito said once again, his face teemed with disappointment.

"Where to?" Kenji asked the Ninja, "I mean, what kind of mission was it?"

"I don't know the exact details…" the Ninja replied thoughtfully, "All I know is that Uzumaki Naruto-san went to the Sand, along together with two other Jounins, namely Haruno Sakura-san and…… one other person whose name I don't really know… Also, it is said that it was the Kazekage himself that requested your Sensei for the mission."

"Woah…" Ito mouthed off—he looked pretty impressed, "Uzumaki-Sensei must be pretty famous for the Kazekage to request him personally…"

"…Sand eh…" Haruna trailed off as her eyes locked on the floor, looking crestfallen—she seemed to take the news even harder than Ito, "……Well, I suppose it can't be helped…… umm…"

She suddenly looked up, her face seemed surprised.

"Wait…" she muttered, "…Haruno Sakura-san…… _the_ Haruno Sakura-san?"

"…What about her?" Ito asked her, his face perplexed.

"You _dolt_!" Haruna smacked Ito's head from behind, "It's the famous Medic Kunoichi! The student of one of the Sannins, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade-sama!"

"Yes, that's the one," the Ninja in front of them nodded casually, "She has saved many Ninjas' life. I've heard that there are even many non-Konoha Ninjas that owe their lives to her. She's quite renowned."

"Oh yeah…" Ito murmured, "I guess I've heard that name from somewhere…"

He sighed exasperatedly.

"…Hahhh…" he said, "I wish Uzumaki-Sensei would let us join his mission…"

"What do you expect?" Kenji said casually as he shifted his shoulders, "It's a mission important enough for three Jounins to actually work together in. Even more, two of the Jounins were the students of two from three Legendary Sannins of Konoha. Heck, even the leader of the Sand himself requested this one. You don't honestly expect Genins like us have _any_ place to contribute to something like _that_, do you?"

The Ninja nodded.

"That's correct," he smiled to the downed Ito and Haruna, "You guys are still too green to join a mission like that. But don't worry!" he clapped his hands, "We've got plenty of missions for you three to tackle on to hone your skills and abilities as a Ninja!"

"Really?" Haruna looked a bit uplifted by this bit of information, "Oooh, what kind, what kind?"

"Well…" the Ninja took out a piece of paper from inside the vest he wore, "There's a mission requesting you three to look for a missing pet rabbit for one……"

Understandably, the three of them didn't look very optimistic about the day any longer.

* * *

**-The Path from Leaf to Sand**

Three figures leapt from trees from trees consecutively in a very rapid manner. They did it very gracefully, not wasting even a single movement—almost as if they could still do just as well with even with their eyes closed. Any ordinary person watching their movements would most likely get their heads spinning around dizzily.

They were the figures of three Konoha Ninjas. The one leading the pack in the front was a Ninja with a blonde hair, while the two that followed him from behind consisted of one Kunoichi with a distinct pink hair, and another Ninja with a short black hair and a face that looked very indifferent to his overall surroundings.

The leader in particular looked very energetic. He leapt from trees from trees with incredible speed, seemingly with little to no disregard to his own safety. The two Ninjas that followed him from behind seemed to have slight difficulty trying to keep up with his pace.

…

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled from behind, "Slow down a bit, will you?"

Naruto landed firmly on a tree. He then looked to the two behind him.

He grinned.

"What's the matter, Sakura-chan?" he said playfully, "You can't keep up with me?"

"Geez, it's not that!" Sakura landed near him, her face looked annoyed, "But you haven't even heard the full details of the mission, yet you charged ahead from the moment we met at the Village's gate! Don't be too hasty when you don't even know exactly what you're dealing with here!"

"Sakura is correct, Naruto," Sai added as he landed right next to Naruto, "Both you and I haven't heard the full details of the request from the Sand. It would be more appropriate for you not to move too hasty just yet."

"Sorry, I got excited since I haven't seen Gaara for a very long time," Naruto scratched his hair silly as Sakura glared at him, "Well… can we hear them while on the move then, Sakura-chan? I'll slow down, I promise."

"Don't move too fast!" Sakura warned him before they resumed with their tree-jumping, only this time it was on a more considerably deliberate pace since Naruto has slowed his movements to match that of his team-mates.

…

"So…" Naruto said to Sakura—now they're moving side by side instead of him in the front and her in his back, "What did Gaara actually want, anyway?"

"Yesterday," Sakura replied as she gracefully landed on a branch only to jump again swiftly in the next second, "Hokage-sama—Kakashi-Sensei, summoned me. He showed me a letter he got from Gaara-kun. It was a personal request from him."

"What did the letter say?" this time it was Sai that spoke.

"It said that the Hidden Sand received a proposal to form an alliance," Sakura said, "…It's from the Hidden Cloud. The request directly came from the Raikage himself."

"Hidden Cloud?" Naruto said as he grabbed a nearby branch with his right hand and swung swiftly forward, "Woah, haven't heard them doing anything in ages!"

"…Strange," Sai contributed his comments, "Usually they are so discreet in their politics. They in normal circumstances never worked together with other countries. Even during the last Legendary War, they didn't actually lend us a hand."

"True," Sakura nodded casually, "…Not only that, but judging from the location of the country itself, it would make more sense for them to send a proposal to Leaf instead to the Sand, since we are much closer to them than Sand is. Instead, they sent one to the Sand while ignoring the Leaf altogether."

"We're really closer to them compared to the Sand?" Naruto remarked, "I've never noticed that…"

"That's basic geography knowledge, Naruto… You're a Jounin, you _should_ know that…" Sakura sighed exasperatedly, though she refrained herself to berate him any further.

"Did the letter mention anything about the reason behind that proposal?" Sai asked as he propelled himself forward after landing firmly on a tree, "A request like that, especially one coming from the leader of a hidden village itself, couldn't possibly be made without the one requesting providing a good reason."

"Gaara-kun said the request came to Sand with the reason that basically stated that Raikage 'felt bad' about them not lending us any help at all during the last Legendary War," Sakura answered, "And that in order to secure the world's future from any possible re-emergence of a threat like the Akatsuki, the Raikage felt the need to forge an alliance with the rest of the countries, to strengthen our unity. And they'd like to start with the Sand."

For a moment, none of the three Ninjas spoke as they continued to rappel themselves through the ocean of trees, with each of their faces lost in their own thought.

…

"You know," Naruto finally the one that first spoke out, "I don't know about you, but that sounds just too good to be true…"

"I agree," Sai nodded quietly, "It is too idealistic. A hidden village wouldn't normally offer their cooperation unless they could benefit somewhat from that action. I find it really hard to believe that they offered that alliance under the basis of 'the goodness of all'. It's a very unlikely scenario."

"Yup, I think that way too, and I believe even Hokage-sama thought about that as well," Sakura agreed, "Something just doesn't feel right about this whole thing. How Hidden Cloud, after so long stayed quiet all by themselves, suddenly offered an alliance with the Sand on the basis of possible future threat like the Akatsuki—which they didn't help on vanquishing back at the Legendary War. It all sounds too fishy."

"So how do we fit in inside all of that?" Naruto asked as he lowered his head to evade an upcoming large branch of a tree—he avoided it flawlessly, although the branch only missed his head by only possibly an inch or less.

"Well, Gaara-kun basically asked Leaf to provide Ninjas to become some sort of bodyguards for him," Sakura answered, "It's said that the Hidden Cloud will send a convoy with the Raikage himself to come to the Sand, to talk directly to Gaara-kun, which will arrive about four to five days from now. Under the reason of forging an alliance, plus the fact that the Raikage himself that comes, such a convoy could not possibly be rejected by Sand. The Sand, however, feared that this is all nothing but a ruse from the Cloud to harm Gaara-kun in some way in order to gain a benefit, although what _kind_ of benefit is not yet foreseeable at the moment. We will be there just for an extra precaution of some sort."

"Doesn't Sand have enough manpower to do that on their own?" Sai asked Sakura, "They should have more than adequate personnel that can act as the Kazekage's bodyguards, instead of requesting additional backup from Leaf…"

"Well… that's true… but…" Sakura mused, "Gaara-kun noted on his letter to our Hokage that Sand has experienced a lot of difficulties lately. Apparently their territories lately have been under siege by repeated incursions by unknown forces with unknown motives."

"Unknown forces?" Naruto repeated her words, "Unknown motives?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded, "The incursions haven't caused any significant harm to the Sand yet, but ever since the Akatsuki incident, understandably Sand has been very uptight with the state of their border security. Those incursions have caused the Sand Council to act in a paranoid manner: they've instructed Gaara to send numerous Ninjas to all corners of Sand's borders to strengthen their defenses—a command that Gaara has no option but to comply. Also, there's the fact that aside from us, the Sand suffered the most repercussions because of the last Legendary War. We're lucky that we have Kakashi-Sensei leading us so we could rebound faster, but Sand unfortunately, on the other hand…"

"Because of all of that, Sand lacks the necessary manpower to anticipate Raikage's arrival on their land?" Sai made a conclusion, "That's why they asked for more backup from Konoha, eh?"

"Yup, that's correct," Sakura nodded again, "The meeting that will take place in Sand will involve two of five Great Shinobi Countries' Hidden Village's leaders; the security requirements will be enormous. Also, I think, our presence there will be beneficial to both Sand and Leaf as well… which is why I thought Kakashi-Sensei didn't just send Naruto there, but also two Jounins along together with him. I guess Gaara-kun would have expected Kakashi-Sensei to do just that, as well."

"What do you mean by that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked at her questioningly.

"Hmm…" Sai muttered, "The presence of not one, not two, but three Leaf Jounins at the same time at the alliance signing will give a significant message from the Hokage to the Raikage that Leaf would not just sit back to the fact that Cloud practically ignored us and went straight to the Sand instead, for unknown reasons. It will give huge pressure to the Cloud saying that they can't just try forging an alliance with Sand while at the same ignoring Sand's closest ally, the Leaf."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking, Sai," Sakura agreed, "At the same time, it will also help Sand in a way that's saying: 'if you dare to do _anything_ funny to the Kazekage, you'll incur not only repercussion from the Sand, but _also_ from the Sand's closest allies, the Leaf.' Basically, hopefully our presence there will deter any possible foul intention from the Cloud since they'll have to deal with both Sand and the Leaf at the same time. So, in a way, we being there will benefit both Hokage and the Kazekage…"

Naruto suddenly all of the sudden laughed all by himself.

"…Woah," he said, "I don't really understand all of that political stuff, but I know this for sure: if anything ever happen to Gaara, I'll be the first to zip away from the Leaf to help him out and to hunt down anyone's responsible for it. Mark my words."

Sai just smiled hearing Naruto's statement, while Sakura did not say anything in response. For some reason, she glanced meaningfully to Naruto's left leg, to the spot where she healed his mission-inflicted wound yesterday on Konoha streets.

For a while, she seemed lost in her own thoughts.

…

"…What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked at Sakura worriedly since suddenly she just seemed so quiet, "Are you not feeling well?"

"……Nothing, sorry," Sakura shook her head slowly after a while, "Nothing at all, Naruto…"

Naruto gazed at Sakura weirdly, while Sai shot another question to her,

"Sakura," he said, "…About the repeated incursions to Sand's territory by an unknown force. You said it just happened 'lately'. Do you think it has something to do with Hidden Cloud's sudden move of offering an alliance with the Sand?"

"I don't know—it might, but it might not be," Sakura replied evenly—she looked unsure, "Gaara-kun also wrote his own suspicions about it in the letter he sent to us, but even he couldn't tell for sure, since there were no reliable information that could be gathered so far. At the end of the day, it may not even be important. But even if Hidden Cloud has something to do with it…"

She did not complete her sentence, but Sai understood enough.

"…You don't have any idea on how they could possibly benefit from it," he said.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded, "Even if the incursions are a part of some bigger plans devised by the Cloud in lieu to their alliance offering to the Sand… I don't see the connection at all. I cannot see in what way those two things can be connected with."

"Hmm…" Sai muttered.

…

They continued to jettison themselves from trees to trees at impressive speed, with Naruto once again in the lead as he picked up his pace again—this time, there were no protests from either Sakura or Sai. The journey from the Leaf to the Sand would normally take around three days to complete, and currently they're not even in halfway mark just yet.

For a while, they didn't talk to each other at all—like before, each seemed to have lost in their own thoughts about their upcoming mission at the Sand. The only sounds accompanying them were the sound of their own rapid movements from trees to trees and the natural sound of the forest itself.

…

It proceeded like that for quite a while, until all of a sudden Naruto did something out of the ordinary.

Without even looking at Sakura and Sai, he carefully gave them each a signal with his left and right fingers respectively, indicating that there's something he wanted to say to them. The expression on his face suddenly turned deathly serious.

Sakura immediately cast her eyes on Sai, wondering perhaps he knew what Naruto was trying to tell them with his hand signals. However, she was quick to realize that Sai also obviously has no idea what Naruto's trying to say to them, because he too was looking at her with a puzzled look on his face.

Then, still without looking at his team-mates, Naruto pointed his left and right index finger upwards. This time, both Sakura and Sai knew immediately what Naruto's trying to say to them with his hand signals. They knew exactly what he wanted to convey to them.

…They were being followed.

* * *

-**Konoha Administration Building-Hallway to Hokage's Office**

Kakashi felt kind of dizzy.

He didn't normally feel uncomfortable like this, not even during his long history of completing numerous highly difficult A and S-ranked missions. However, after his inauguration as the Sixth Hokage for Konoha, there's exactly one thing that never failed to induce that kind of feeling inside him _every time_ he's doing it.

And that one thing was the meeting with the Council of Konoha. As the Hokage, that was one thing that he could not avoid on doing, but he just couldn't prevent that strange sinking feeling to brew inside him every time he entered the Council's Room and met with all of the old people inside, the so-called Elders of Konoha. If only he could choose, he would even prefer to do the most difficult S-Ranked mission in the world instead of meeting with the Council again—at least that way he could get some real excitement… his life at the stake be damned.

…

He continued to walk inside the hall that led to his office, while occasionally looking at the side windows to appreciate the sight of Konoha viewed from the top. He liked it in here. This was the hallway that led to his office, and thus no one was allowed to pass through it without permission. He liked the solitariness of this location. Most of the time, no one except him was here, and thus he could enjoy that rare moments of being alone with nothing but his own thoughts accompanying him that has became so precious ever since he turned into Hokage.

He stood still and gazed through the windows for a moment. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew that there're a number of ANBUs out there somewhere, watching the hallway ever so intently in order to prevent possible unwarranted entry to Hokage's chamber by unauthorized intruders. However, even the thought of multiple elite Ninjas ready to kill out there didn't faze Kakashi to enjoy the view at its fullest. He even thought of just lying down there in the hallway and relaxed……

…

He couldn't do it in the end, of course. He's the Hokage right now, and he didn't want to think what kind of image he would impose if he was caught relaxing freely inside a hallway by his own personal bodyguards instead of working for the good of the Village.

Thus, he resumed his walk.

He only needed to walk through the next arc in the hallway before finally arriving at his office, when a voice suddenly called him from behind.

"Kakashi-san!"

He stopped his walk, and turned around.

At the other side of the hallway, he found Shizune running towards him in a hurry, with various documents held carefully in her arms. She looked visibly hectic.

…

If there's one person that took Tsunade's heroic death at the Legendary War in the hardest way possible, that person must have been her. Losing her true role model and the one she held dear the most in battle was a very big blow to her, and amongst all people in Konoha—even Sakura—she needed the longest time to recuperate from both physical and mental degeneration caused by the shock because of the death of the fifth Hokage.

During his first days as Hokage, Kakashi actually felt reluctant asking her to work again as Hokage's assistance. In fact, most people actually predicted that she would leave Konoha altogether because of Tsunade's unfortunate death, and none of them would actually prevent her in doing so should she chose to do just that. However, one day all of a sudden she came directly to Kakashi, asking if she could fill in the position as his personal assistant.

Kakashi, of course, had no reason to object her request. In fact, if there's one thing all people could agree on about Shizune, was the one fact that she seemed to work twice as hard compared to when she worked under Tsunade's wing. None have asked the reason behind her sudden reemerge of strong working spirit, although some have speculated that it was just simply her way of honoring the death of a person she respected the most.

…

"…So, how's the meeting with the Council went?" Shizune seemed out of breath, but she wasted no time in jumping straight to business as soon as she arrived in front of Kakashi.

"…Eventful," Kakashi said shortly, and when Shizune gave him a weird look, he hastily added, "But nothing really exciting happened. Just the usual talk about the general condition of the Village."

"But what about…" Shizune muttered meaningfully, "…You know, _that_ thing about Naruto-kun."

Kakashi paused for a moment, before saying,

"I didn't give them your report," Kakashi said firmly, which for some reason made Shizune uttered a heavy sigh of relief, "The one you made when you examined Naruto when he got back from that mission I assigned him—I didn't give them that. I don't want the Council to worry about Naruto… yet."

"Didn't they ask, though?" Shizune said curiously.

"Yeah, of course they did," Kakashi replied coolly, "Naruto has always been and will always be a subject during meetings with those elders. Don't worry though, as I have said before, I am careful by not to mention anything about your report."

"…I wonder why he didn't just come to Sakura-san," Shizune sighed, "She is more knowledgeable than me about Medical Jutsus, after all. She's the one that inherited all of Tsunade-sama's skills and knowledge…"

"Probably because he didn't want to cause her to worry," Kakashi said as he signaled Shizune to join him as he resumed his walk down through the hall, "It's Naruto we're talking about here. He tends to take his problems all by himself, not wanting to worry others unnecessarily."

His expression looked serious.

"But I suppose it's all well and good that you should be the one that examined him," he said, "All things considered, Sakura would probably hesitate in giving me the full report about Naruto's condition if she was the one examining him. She would probably never tell me at all, and instead trying to find a way to solve it all by herself. Those two are very similar in that regard."

"Are you saying that you haven't told Sakura-san about it yet?" Shizune looked a bit surprised, "…Are you sure that's a wise decision, Kakashi-san?"

"They're in the middle of a very important mission to the Sand now," Kakashi said, "I don't want to burden their mind with any more than what are absolutely necessary. Besides, it's not entirely conclusive yet, correct? I don't want to worry them with things we're not even entirely sure yet."

"…True……" Shizune trailed off, "…I found it only by a mere stroke of luck when I examined Naruto-kun… And it's true that it's not entirely conclusive yet… But shouldn't we worry more about it, Kakashi-san? If the thing that we're worried about the most actually happening to Naruto-kun, it might be already too late by then to actually do something about it. Shouldn't we tell more people about this?"

They have arrived in front of Kakashi's office. However, instead of entering his office, Kakashi just stood in front of his door with his eyes closed, both his hands inside his pockets.

"You know exactly that this is a sensitive issue in Konoha, Shizune-san," Kakashi muttered meaningfully, "Tell just one wrong person, and this thing will most likely spiral out of control and cause both us and Naruto all sorts of untold problems. Not to mention it will give Sakura a hell of a time too, given her relationship with Naruto. It'd be best if we keep this for ourselves until there's absolutely no other way around it anymore."

"…Yes…" Shizune looked down, "…You're right. It's just that, it's Naruto-kun… the person that Tsunade-sama entrusted her precious necklace to… the one she entrusted this Village's future to… If anything ever happens to him…"

Her voice was a bit shaky.

Kakashi gave her a reassuring smile as he tapped her right shoulder lightly.

"Don't worry—Naruto has many people willing to do many things for him right now," he said positively, "The Fifth's will is secured with him, so you shouldn't worry needlessly like this. People might find it odd seeing you all flustered like this all the time—they might even start to ask questions around. We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention now, do we?"

Shizune firmed herself up.

"Yes, you're absolutely right, Kakashi-san," she said firmly, her voice turned strong, "Anyway, I am sure we can find something to aid us in this matter. I'll look something up. I'll search the entire Konoha library if I must!"

"And I'll look for something as well," Kakashi nodded appreciatively, "I am sure that if we really work together to solve this thing, the solution will come up on its own naturally, sooner or later."

"Yeah!" Shizune replied spiritedly.

Kakashi smiled once again, before he finally moved his right hand to the handle of the door to his office.

He opened it.

…

……

Then, suddenly he paused.

After he opened the door and looked into the insides of his office, he just paused. He didn't move—he just stood still.

However, he was staring at his own office intently. It's like he's watching something inside there. It's like he expecting something would happen.

Shizune obviously felt that something must have happened, since Kakashi was acting so strange all of a sudden. However, when she peeked into Kakashi's office by overlooking his shoulders, she didn't spot anything particularly strange or out of place. She didn't _feel_ anything out of the ordinary too.

Everything just seemed to be in order.

…So why the sudden strange act?

"Kakashi-san?" Shizune said tentatively, "…Is something the matter?"

Kakashi didn't say anything for a while. He was still looking at his office intently, without even moving an inch from where he stood right now, exactly at the front of the entrance door.

Then, he looked to her direction.

"No, sorry," he said, smiling, "It's nothing. May I ask you a favor though, Shizune-san?"

"Of course!" Shizune nodded firmly.

"…I am a bit tired right now, so can I count on you to make sure that no guests are allowed to enter my chamber for a while?" Kakashi asked, "My head is kind of fuzzy after the meeting with all of those senile folks, and I'd love an opportunity to clear it out even if it's only for a moment."

"Oh no!" Shizune gasped, "Then, am I bothering you just now, Kakashi-san?"

"Aaah no, no of course you're not a bother," Kakashi shook his head casually, "But can you just do what I asked?"

"Yeah, of course, no problem!" she bowed politely in front of Kakashi, before turning herself around and went off to the other side of the hallway, still looking hectic with all of those documents she carried around on her arms.

It didn't take long until Shizune was completely out of sight.

When she's gone, Kakashi for some reason glanced meaningfully to the direction of the windows on the hallway for a moment. After that, he entered his office in slow, deliberate pace, and closed the door behind him firmly.

He put down his Hokage cloak and hat at a nearby desk, before walking casually to his desk at the northern end of the room.

He sat on his chair.

He leaned back on his chair, his eyes swept through the entire room.

Then, his eyes stopped at a particular spot, at one of the corners inside his room.

He gazed at that spot directly for a couple of seconds, before finally saying,

"You can't hide there forever, you know," he said casually, "I know you're there. Come out, now."

* * *

**-The Path from Leaf to Sand**

"_We're being followed_?" Sakura said to herself as she immediately readied herself for any possible oncoming surprises, while at the same time still particularly careful not to let her behavior to appear out of the ordinary.

She looked at Naruto in front of her. He's still acting as though everything was still normal, although she knew he also prepared himself as well for any possible surprises. Then, Naruto—still without looking at Sakura or Sai—gave them other signals with his fingers.

Naruto signals indicated that he felt like they were being followed by more than just one person. He felt like there were at least three to four people following them right now, although he wasn't entirely sure about their exact numbers.

Sakura once again glanced at Sai. Just like Naruto and Sakura, he too didn't show any particular movements that may indicate his awareness to the existence of a potential danger ahead, although the expression on his face was visibly more alarmed than before.

When he saw Sakura glancing at him, he mouthed off a response, saying 'I didn't sense anything at all.'

"..._Sai didn't notice anything as well_…" she thought to herself, "_Perhaps Naruto made a mistake_…?"

However, before she could contemplate anything further, all of a sudden Naruto looked like he's noticing something urgent. He hastily twisted his body around to face their direction, and without any warning whatsoever he grabbed two Kunais from inside his vest and threw each one right exactly towards Sakura and Sai.

"Sakura-chan, Sai!" he yelled alarmingly, "Duck!"

Sakura and Sai didn't have time to be shocked at the fact that Naruto just threw his Kunais right exactly towards their faces. Both of them reflexively ducked as Naruto told them to, and the Kunais Naruto threw whizzed through them as they flew right above their heads.

-TRANG!-

-TRANG!-

Sounds of deflection erupted.

When both Sakura and Sai turned their body around to see what just happened, to their surprise they both saw that Naruto's Kunais have deflected what appeared to be two medium-sized black-colored needles, both apparently coated with poison. Should Naruto didn't do what he just did, those needles would most certainly hit the back of their necks without fail, and the consequences would undoubtedly be unpleasant.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai landed firmly at the same large branch as their eyes peered into the direction of which the needles were thrown from.

"Thanks, Naruto," Sakura said appreciatively as she took out a Kunai from inside her vest, with Sai followed suit.

"Don't mention it, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied immediately.

"It's not over just yet," Sai muttered quietly as he turned his head up, "Something's coming."

-Zrash!-

-Zrash!-

-Zrash!-

Suddenly, in what one could describe as an amazing but horrifying spectacle, hundreds of black needles were suddenly jettisoning towards them from all directions, covering their right, up-right, up, left-right, and left sides without leaving any paths for evasion or escape. The black needles made a horrible screeching noise as they darted to Naruto, Sakura, and Sai.

"Woah!" Naruto said.

"We're surrounded," Sai remarked.

"Chih!" Sakura immediately made a fist with her right hand, and then launched her punch towards the large branch the three of them stood on.

-TRAAAAK!-

The large branch was destroyed to pieces as her fist connected with it, and as a result, the three of them fell down. Because of that, however, the throngs of black needles that threatened them before did not hit their mark—instead, they were hitting each other, making an awfully noisy sound of clashes right at the exact spot where Naruto, Sakura, and Sai stood previously.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai immediately transferred chakra to their feet so that they could latch themselves onto the bodies of nearest trees, and then they darted to various directions to avoid the falling black needles from above their heads.

"Find them?" Naruto said as he glanced to the directions the black needles were thrown from before.

"No," Sakura that landed right next to him replied—she too immediately cast her eyes to the same direction as Naruto's, "Not only they are good at masking their presence, they use the trees to amplify the effect of their camouflage. These guys are good."

"I lost track of them as well," Naruto said regretfully, "I hate to admit it, but just like you said, Sakura-chan, they're good alright…"

"We just can't charge right to them too," Sai commented as he landed at the tree that was located directly next to the tree where Naruto and Sakura landed before, "They have the advantage of being able to see us while we can't see them, not to mention they're also in the higher ground than us right now. We also don't know their fighting methods just yet. Reckless attacks could only further benefit their cause instead of ours."

"Well if that's the case!" Naruto quickly performed a hand-seal, "If they're so good at hiding we can't even see them, let us just destroy their hiding places then!"

Naruto formed two Rasengan each on his left and right hand, only this time they weren't just the usual ones. Instead of being shaped like a normal circular ball, those Rasengans had the shape of over-sized shurikens that rotate endlessly in a dizzying speed, creating a malicious sound out of their spin.

"Wait, Naruto! Don't just…!" was the only thing Sakura could say before Naruto threw those shuriken-shaped Rasengans towards the direction of where the black needles came from.

"Oh my," Sai said casually as he witnessed the Rasengans literally cut through numerous large trees as easy as a very sharp knife cutting through a very soft butter. Amazingly, their speed did not get reduced even for the slightest bit as they hit each and every tree in their path, a testament of how sharp those Rasengans were.

All the trees on their path were cut into two without mercy, and the sound of their upper part falling one by one to the ground down below was thunderously loud, enough to wake anyone up to Kingdom Come.

…

"Naruto," Sakura sighed—clearly, she did not find the overall flashiness, loudness, and result that Naruto's Jutsu produced as something she was fond of, although even she had to admit that it was a very impressive nevertheless, "…Don't destroy the trees too much—we're still in Kohona territory, you know. Destroying environments in our own land is not something a Konoha Ninja should do……"

"…Yeah, of course," Naruto replied to her a bit absent-mindedly—he seemed to be in a bit of an awestruck himself after seeing the result of his own Jutsu to the surrounding area.

He moved his right and left index and middle fingers upward at the same time. The two Rasengans that flew through the forest menacingly suddenly shot themselves upward to the sky at the same exact moment, as if they could sense Naruto giving orders to them.

When the Rasengans already shot high in the air and arrived at approximately the same height, Naruto clenched both his fists, and like magic, the Rasengans immediately stopped moving. They're both suspended in mid-air.

Then, he pointed his right and left fingers to one another, and once again the Rasengans suddenly dashed at incredible speed, only this time not to the trees, but to one another.

-BOOOOOOOOMMM!-

The explosion the Rasengans made when they impacted with one another was tremendous, even enough to quake the ground far down below and sent tremors to the trees as they shivered under its sheer velocity and ferociousness.

…

……

Even Sai couldn't hide his amazement as he looked to Naruto with appreciative look in his eyes. It seemed like this could be the very first time he ever saw Naruto performed that Jutsu in front of him, and the impression it made to him was unmistakable.

The fact that Naruto was able to create not only one—but _two_ highly destructible, nigh-impossible-to-prevent projectiles like that was a very impressive feat on its own right, regardless to the fact that he's a Jounin right now. Not only that, he was also able to make them travel at impressive velocity, and even scarier, they were _controllable_ to boot.

Sai even thought that he, as one of the most trained and veteran ROOT members of Konoha, could only think possibly just one or two methods to avoid such highly destructive Jutsu… and even then he wasn't entirely sure how effective those methods would really be if he should be the one unfortunate enough to become the target of something that fearsome…

…

"_There _they are!" Sakura said alarmingly as she threw three shurikens at the same time to the suddenly emerging shadowy figures at quite some distance away from where she and the rest of her team-mates stood.

The shurikens she threw almost hit their mark, but unfortunately in the end the shadowy figures were able to outclass them. They jumped away even further from Naruto, Sakura, and Sai.

It was apparent that although their location been discovered, they had no intention of engaging the Leaf Ninjas in further confrontation, because their movements clearly indicated that they were running away. It wasn't too long then before they managed to disappear again, out of sight.

"Damn!" Sakura said when she saw her shurikens didn't hit their intended targets.

"How many people are there?" Sai asked to her as his gaze was transfixed to the direction where the shadowy figures were running.

"Three people," Sakura replied shortly as she tucked in her Kunai back on her jacket, her face looked disappointed, "I am not sure about their country of origin, though. I have never seen uniform like that, and they didn't appear to wear any head protector or anything."

"Should we chase them?" Naruto looked kind of excited—in fact, he seemed ready to just dash away chasing the figures right here right now.

"I don't think we should," Sai said composedly as he pulled out one of his scrolls and put it on the branch he stood on, "The effect of Naruto's Jutsu earlier should be enough to alarm every patrolling ANBUs in Konoha that something has gone amiss. With our ANBUs now in alert like that, most likely they would never dare to try something unwarranted again to Konoha, at least right now. In fact, I'd bet they already hasten themselves to get out of our territory lest they risk their identity getting discovered."

"…Well," Naruto was grinning as he looked around all the destroyed trees all around them, "I guess my Jutsu is a pretty _good_ wake-up alarm for everyo…"

Sakura smacked his head from behind before he could finish his sentence.

"However, I still think that we should inform Hokage-sama about this encounter immediately," Sai drew a panther with astonishing speed on the scroll he put down and amazingly, the next second he finished his drawing the panther sprung to life as it jumped out from the scroll's surface—it was literally a panther made out of paint, "This is the only path from Leaf to Sand. The fact that they ambushed us here…"

"Their intentions might have been to prevent us to go to the Sand," Sakura completed Sai's explanation, "This might have something to do with the Raikage's visit to the Sand. It's a rare event for the Raikage to move, and even more so to offer an alliance to another country—the news about it should already traveled fast to everyone that took notice to that kind of thing—to those that have importance related to it."

"…They might also have been a part of those 'unknown force' that committed illegal intrusions to the Sand as well," Sai wrote down a letter as the panther stood still in front of him, while occasionally growled menacingly, "…Although, all of that are nothing more than my own conjecture, with no proofs whatsoever to back it up. However, I think it would be a more prudent for us to continue our journey to the Sand instead of going back to Konoha. We have to tell the Sand about this thing as well, as quickly as possible—they probably already have an idea to the identity of those Ninjas already."

Sai performed a hand-seal. The letter he just wrote suddenly melted down, transformed into some sort of blackish liquid. The liquid then moved slowly towards the panther, and in a strange twist of event, it merged together into one with the paint-made animal.

"Go," he said firmly to the panther, "You know what to do."

The panther growled menacingly once again before it dashed towards the direction of Konoha with incredible speed, it moved through the forest effortlessly and efficiently. Not to long for the paint-made animal to disappear beyond sight.

…

"Let's go," Sai said to Naruto and Sakura as he put his equipment back to their original place, "We must hurry,"

"Um," both Naruto and Sakura answered and nodded at the same time.

Sai immediately dashed towards the direction of Sand, followed immediately by Naruto.

Sakura, however, did not immediately move to follow hear team-mates. Instead, she stared meaningfully to all of the destroyed trees around her—the result of Naruto's highly destructive Jutsu earlier. The damage done to the surroundings was simply unprecedented—they might have to deal with annoying inquiries when later they return to the village……

"That idiot," she mumbled to herself.

…

_Though_, _it's pretty reassuring to have him on our team_…… she thought,

_But_……

…

She shook her head, and immediately dashed towards the same direction where Sai and Naruto just went.

* * *

**-Hokage Office**

"You can't hide there forever, you know," Kakashi said casually, "I know you're there. Come out, now."

At first it appeared like Kakashi was only talking to himself, since there's no one inside the room besides him.

However, after few seconds have passed, all of a sudden a silhouette of a person emerged from the exact spot where Kakashi landed his eyes at. It was a pretty unbelievable sight—at first there was nothing, and then the next thing a see-through silhouette appeared out of nowhere, and then a few seconds later the silhouette transformed into a full body of a person.

Kakashi was a bit surprised to see the unknown intruder. It was a young lady, most probably only two or three years younger than Naruto. She has an unruly short reddish hair, tightened with a red cloth headband on her forehead. A dark colored muffler covered her neck up until half her face, right below her nose. On her mid-torso she wore a white-colored short top with a strange eye motif latched on its middle, a symbol Kakashi had never seen before in his life. She also wore leather pads on both her shoulders, and a couple of gruesome looking metallic bracers on each of her hands—each equipped with very sharp looking blades on its edges. On her waist, she wore a red-colored sash with a couple of Kunais attached to it. She wore dark underpants for her lower part, complete with cloth leggings and dark leather shoes. She didn't seem to wear any Ninja protector of any sorts.

Overall, it was a style that Kakashi didn't recognize, even with all of his past experience traveling to various places around the world.

…One thing he _did_ know for sure though; was the fact that the person standing in front of him right now in was not, in all means, an ordinary person. The fact that she's here, standing in front of him right now inside his office, was more than enough proof to support that statement.

…

The young lady smiled.

"Very impressive, Hokage-kun," she said sweetly, "That you're able to detect me. Including you, there are only two people in this world right now that is able to detect my presence at moments where I don't want to be detected. I must congratulate you on that—you're not a Hokage without a good reason, after all."

"Thanks," Kakashi said shortly—the young lady looked loose and didn't appear to harbor any intention to commit anything funny, but nevertheless it wasn't a reason for him to let his guard down, "You're pretty impressive yourself, being able to sneak into my office undetected, even though there are a number of ANBUs out there watching guard. The Jutsu you used in order to get here was, without a doubt, quite admirable."

"Well, yeah, I guess," she laughed a little, "But I must say, getting here was no easy feat, by all means! Those Konoha ANBUs out there are pretty good and alert—if I wasn't extra careful in my attempt to sneak in here, most probably I would have been caught and interrogated by those scary guys right now…"

She suddenly clapped her hands, like she just remembered something.

"Oh yeah!" she said, "Why didn't they already barging to this room right now? Figures since you've managed to detect me you've already sent a warning or something to them. You didn't even say anything to that lady you just spoke to outside this office. Why's that?"

She seemed very casual when she said that. In fact, she acted so casual about it was quite unnatural—like she didn't even worry about the possibility that Kakashi _might_ have alerted the ANBUs and the possibility that they could just barge into this room any moment now.

…

"……You are a person good enough to slip to my office undetected regardless of heavy surveillance," Kakashi said calmly, "I don't want to risk the safety of my subordinates by ordering them to capture you. I'll keep the honors to do that for myself."

"Oh my…" she seemed amused as she leaned her back casually to the walls behind her, "…What a very dedicated leader you are, Hokage-kun. You are willing to risk your own safety just in order to keep your subordinates out from possible harm… That's pretty noble."

She gave Kakashi a respectful bow.

"…Who are you?" Kakashi asked evenly—he didn't seem fazed at all to the fact that the intruder just acted like she's some sort of a normal guest or something, "Are you here to assassinate me?"

"Assassinate _you_?" she said with a shocked look on her face.

She immediately shook her head.

"Heavens, no!" she waved her hands frantically, "Of course not! Even though I managed to sneak in here undetected by your subordinates, that doesn't mean I am willing to engage into a fight with you, Hokage-kun! One look at you is enough to tell me that I will not be able to defeat you in a fight! I'll be thoroughly _obliterated _by you! I am not foolish enough to dive into a battle I know I won't be able to win, Hokage-kun… no, no, not me…"

"Yet you are foolish enough to sneak into my office without any good reason to do so," Kakashi said calmly, "Are you going to explain that to me right now, or not?"

"…Well yes…" she scratched her hair, her expression looked silly, "Sorry about that. I am not supposed to be here in the first place anyways. Our leader told us not to mess around with Konoha just yet—not until he specifically tells us to. He told us to stay clear from Konoha… but unfortunately, I just can't suppress my curiosity…"

…_Leader_? Kakashi mused to himself as he let his uninvited guest to continue speaking without interruption.

"I mean," she continued, "The Leader always said that Konoha Ninjas are the ones that we all should especially be wary about, that we all should keep a low profile whenever Konoha was involved. Three, in particular, he said could be the most potentially dangerous for all of us. The first one in the list is you, of course, Hokage-kun. I'd say now that I've seen you in person directly, I now fully understand why our Leader said we must be careful with you."

Kakashi did not say anything as she continued,

"…The other two," she added, "Our leader told us, are Konoha Jounins by the name of Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura."

Even though Kakashi has managed to maintain a composed attitude so far during this conversation, the sudden mention of Naruto and Sakura's name inevitably managed to surprise him.

"_What_?" he said in disbelief.

"Yeah, that's what Leader told us," she replied casually—she seemed enjoying the surprised look on Kakashi's face, though she did not comment on it, "Of course, since its our Leader himself that said those things, almost all of us obeyed his instructions and stayed clear out of Konoha's way, so far. I, on the other hand, felt very compelled to find out for myself what kind of people the Leader told us to be careful about. So me and one of my friend—who also couldn't suppress his curiousity—decided that we should try to sneak into Konoha to see with my own eyes just how great these three people are. We also brought two of our best men with us."

She suddenly sighed.

"…Yeah, so yesterday we made our plans," she said somewhat sullenly, "Trying to decide which one of us got to meet with which side. My _idiot_ friend, however—when he saw the sight of that girl named Haruno Sakura—immediately fell head over heels for her and selfishly decided that _he_ should be the one to test her while _I _got you and that Uzumaki Naruto guy. What a jerk."

Kakashi put his elbows on his desk.

Truthfully, the way she acted so casual and playful in front of him was quite impressive indeed—like she didn't have any worry at all that she might be captured. That alone proved that despite her seemingly young age, she's most probably a dangerous person that needed to be apprehended immediately.

Nevertheless, he didn't interrupt her talk because he's interested into hearing what she had to say.

…

"Of course, he wasn't so happy when he found out that the girl of his dreams went to Sand with two other Jounins the very first thing in the morning today, one of them being none other than Uzumaki Naruto himself," she explained, "And thus, he carried along our two subordinates with him to stalk them out, while me… well, here I am right now."

Suddenly, for seemingly no apparent reason at all, she laughed.

"Oh, but it's _hilarious_, though!" she chuckled, "I just got news from him about his supposed testing Uzumaki-san and Haruno-san's abilities," she tapped her forehead.

_Got the news_? Kakashi said in his mind, _Naruto's team should already be far away from here_, _so there_'_s no way she'd able to tell what happened to them if she's here_…

"I can talk telepathically with my friend," she explained to Kakashi when she saw Kakashi's untrusting expression—she said it so easily Kakashi couldn't help but to feel kind of surprised because of it, "It's not _that_ special of an ability, really—it just means that I can communicate to other people far away without needing a radio or something. Anyway…"

She chuckled again.

"As I was saying, I just got the news from my friend. He said that they're just about to crap their pants because apparently Uzumaki-san just used a very powerful Jutsu only in order to find out their hiding spot!" she looked very amused, "It was apparently such a scary jutsu that _idiot_ immediately decided that he should just run away instead of trying to fight Uzumaki-san and Haruno-san to test their abilities! Can you believe _that_, Hokage-kun?"

She laughed.

…

"So you're saying that you and your friend decided to infiltrate Konoha just to play around?" Kakashi said sternly.

"…Don't say that!" she stopped her laugh to stare at him scornfully, "We're practically risking our own lives here just in order to find out what kind of people you three are! We're not just 'playing' around!"

"Are you a part of that group that infiltrated Sand's territory without permission?" Kakashi ignored her pouts, "Does this 'Leader' of yours is trying to do something too about Raikage's visit to the Sand?"

Kakashi's uninvited guest looked surprised.

"…Oh woah…" she muttered, "So you knew about all that, huh, Hokage-kun? You knew about our infiltration to the Sand and about the Hidden Cloud's leader visiting the Sand? Well, I suppose it's just normal, since Leaf is Sand's closest ally, after all……"

"So basically you just confirmed that it was your group that, for some reason, infiltrated the Sand," Kakashi said calmly, "You also just confirmed that your group has some plans about Raikage's visit to the Sand."

…

The young lady didn't say anything for a moment.

A moment later, however, she smacked her own forehead.

"Oh my…" she muttered, looking disappointed to herself, "I need to learn to keep my mouth shut……"

Then, her face suddenly brightened up when she seemed to have some sort of sudden realization,

"Wait a minute!" she said, "Of course! If you knew about it already… then…"

She clapped her hands joyfully.

"The fact that Uzumaki-san and Haruno-san went there must have meant that you sent them out to Sand as back up, right, Hokage-kun?" she said joyously, "This way, whether Leader likes it or not, we can't possibly avoid direct confrontation with Leaf any longer! That means I will have a chance to actually witness with my own eyes just how good those two Jounins really are!"

She looked happy.

"Also, this should help alleviate me and my friend's punishment for breaking into Konoha when our Leader told us not to, even if it's just for a little bit," she said, "Because either way, we must face Konoha in the end regardless. This is good!"

"No you won't," Kakashi said in a deep voice as he stood up from his chair.

"No I won't what?" the young lady turned her attention to him.

"You won't have a chance to witness with your own eyes how good Naruto and Sakura are," Kakashi said evenly, "Because I will subdue you right here, right now and surrender you to the Interrogation Squad. Then, you have to tell us everything about all of your friends, your group, your group's plans, this 'Leader' you're talking about, and everything else you know."

For the first time ever since they both spoke to each other, the young lady's face turned a bit tense.

"Do you honestly expect I will just let you get away after you sneaked into my office like that and said everything you just told me?" Kakashi moved his right hand to his head protector that was placed diagonally to cover his left eye, "For whatever reason you came here in the first place, you made the wrong choice when you decided to meet me face to face."

He lifted up his head protector, and there it was…

…

…_Sharingan_… the young lady said in her mind, a trail of sweat glided on her face. She looked even tenser than before.

"Uh…" she muttered nervously, "Actually, I kind of expecting that you could act generously and just let me go. It's not like I have done anything to you or anything, Hokage-kun. All I want is to get to see you in person, nothing more…"

Kakashi didn't say anything, but the expression on his face provided enough answer for her.

She gulped a little.

"…Here's the thing now, Hokage-kun," she said, "You can do all of those scary things you just mentioned—subduing and interrogating me and everything—only _if_ you can catch me in the first place, right?"

"What makes you so sure that I can't?" Kakashi said composedly, "You said it yourself, you have no chance of winning against me in a fight."

"That's one hundred percent true," she nodded, "But I didn't say anything about not being able to escape from you. Winning in a fight against you and escaping you are both two very different things, am I right?"

She didn't wait Kakashi's response to continue,

"…You see," she added, "It's not that I want to brag about it, but I have a special ability too—granted, it is not as impressive as Sharingan, mind you, but my special ability is perfectly suited for a situation like this……"

"Is that right?" Kakashi said matter-of-factly, "Care to explain?"

"Well for instance, my ability allows me to perform various unique Jutsus that no other Ninjas that I know of can perform. With it, I can, for instance, sneak into a certain Hokage's office undetected even with many eyes watching and many ears listening," the young lady gave a smile, although her face still looked kind of tense, "Also, it gives me an ability to perform a Jutsu that will, most probably, allow me to escape from here unharmed even with you already threatening me with your Sharingan, Hokage-kun."

"Really?" Kakashi said, his Sharingan spun slowly and his gaze transfixed into his mysterious guest.

"Yeah," she nodded slowly, "Although unfortunately, this particular Jutsu still requires a hand-seal to perform. So……"

"Whether you are able to escape from here or not depends on how fast you can perform that Jutsu compared to how fast I can subdue you before you can activate it," Kakashi stated calmly, "Is that what you want to say?"

"Pretty much," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Fair enough," Kakashi nodded casually, "…You want to try it out?"

"Well I really don't have any other choice now, do I?" the young lady replied with a funny expression on her face.

"I suppose you don't," Kakashi said quietly.

…

……

For a moment, it seemed like time has frozen inside the Hokage room. None of its current inhabitants were moving, their eyes transfixed fully to one another. For a moment, the world around them was reduced to nothingness—all that mattered was the person standing in front of them, all that mattered was whether or not each person would be able to outclass the other, and whether or not each person would be able to successfully attain their objective while at the same time defeating the other.

"Kakashi-san, sorry to bother you once again, but I…" without warning, suddenly someone opened the door to Kakashi's office.

It was Shizune.

At the same time Shizune opened the door, Kakashi moved at blinding speed towards the uninvited guest, while the young lady lifted both her hands to perform the hand-seal required for her Jutsu.

-TRAAAAAAKKKKKK!-

Kakashi's fist connected successfully to the young lady.

…Or so it would seem.

Even Kakashi was stunned to see what just happened in front of him.

His fist did connect with something, but it wasn't the intruder he hit with it.

It was a huge mirror, almost as tall as him, that suddenly appeared in place of the young lady. As for her, somehow, she seemed to have transported herself _inside_ the mirror. It was like her image on the mirror, only the real one was nowhere to be seen outside the mirror.

…

Astonishingly, the young lady inside the mirror turned her face to Kakashi.

She smiled victoriously.

"Too bad, Hokage-kun," she said in a muffled voice, "You almost got me, but almost is not going to cut it, isn't it? Perhaps next time…"

-Crack-

-Crack-

-Crack-

The mirror began to crack because of Kakashi's attack. The crack then began to spread throughout its entire surface, and not too long after that it crumbled to the ground, pieces by pieces.

Kakashi retracted his fist as he looked down to the mirror pieces on the floor meaningfully. He looked honestly impressed.

…

"…K…Kakashi-san…" Shizune looked shocked—clearly, she didn't expect to see _that_ kind of thing to happen in front of her eyes the moment she entered the room. She even dropped the documents she carried to the floor out of sheer surprise, "…Wha… what just happened…?"

"It was an intruder," Kakashi replied shortly to her with his eyes still transfixed to the mirror pieces on the floor.

"_What_?" Shizune looked even more shocked then previously, "A…an _intruder_? _In your office_?"

Kakashi nodded slightly.

"I…I'll notify the ANBUs right away!" Shizune hastily said, "That person still should be around here somewhere! I'll notify them right away!"

Kakashi didn't say anything, and Shizune didn't wait for his answer to immediately bolted out to the corridor, her face looked terribly disturbed by the fact that someone has managed to successfully infiltrate Hokage's office undetected.

…

……

Kakashi kneeled on the floor to pick up one of the broken mirror pieces. He observed it thoughtfully, his mind thinking of something.

...His uninvited guest was clearly a person to be reckoned with, even with her apparently relatively young age. What he didn't really get was her overall demeanor and attitude towards him during his conversation with her.

Clearly, a person able to infiltrate his office undetected even under many watchful eyes of Konoha ANBUs was not a stupid person, or a sloppy one, or one without an ability to think quickly and precisely. Yet, back then, she accidentally let slip the fact that she was a part of the group that infiltrated the Sand, and that her group was planning something in accordance to the event of the Raikage visiting the Sand. She even revealed that she came to Konoha as a group of four, with the others stalking Naruto and Sakura. She even without hesitation revealed some of her abilities to Kakashi, even though she knew he had the Sharingan. The fact that she wasn't even entirely sure she could escape from him the moment she knew he was able to detect her presence suggested that she was being overly confident with her sneaking ability, and that in the end she was able to outperform Kakashi and escaped was just, more than anything, sheer luck.

Even her explanation about her motive to infiltrate Konoha was seemingly irrational and looked made up.

…

……Or maybe she accidentally let slip all of those information to him was, actually not an 'accident' at all?

Perhaps it was some part of a plan?

Some plan with a specific intention?

…But even if that really was the case… even he couldn't figure what the purpose was. What was the young lady trying to achieve with all of her impressive feat of infiltrating and escaping his office. If her act has something to do with Raikage's visit to the Sand, he still couldn't see what the connection was.

It was all still too vague to him, still too obscure.

…

Whatever the case would be, Kakashi knew one thing for sure: a new and possibly dangerous enemy has emerged.

And that something… _Something_ would happen in the Sand, the place where Naruto and Sakura went to.

…Something unforeseeable…

And dangerous.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *


	4. Fourth Episode

-Sorry for the delayed update.

-Looking back at my previous chapters, I spotted numerous unbelievable mistakes, such as weird grammars, strange sentence structures, typos, and _even_ downright stupid ones like missing words and sentences! I feel like hitting myself with a hammer right now…

-I changed the summary and the clickable title for this story on this site. I'll stick with them from now on.

-For the question asked by **Serenarey Chiba**, this story will primarily focus on the development of Naruto and Sakura, and _not_ the new Team Five. The other Rookie Nine will have their significant share of the spotlight too, as well as the usual folks such as Kakashi, Sai, and the rest of the gang.

-For anyone else, if you feel like you want to ask some questions about this story, feel free to do so. I'll try my best of my abilities to answer them all.

-Thank you to all that have read, reviewed, and/or put my story in their favorite and/or alert list. **If you are willing to give some of your time to spare some comments or reviews for this chapter as well**, or any of other chapters for you who haven't done it yet, **it'd be **_**greatly**_,_** greatly**_** appreciated**.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

* * *

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

_Fourth Episode_

* * *

"_Oh_, _the comfort_—_the_ _inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person_—_having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words_, _but pouring them all right out_, _just as they are_, _chaff and grain together_; _certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them_, _keep what is worth keeping_, _and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away_." –**Dinah Craik**

* * *

**-The Path to Sand**

It was night.

The moon sat on the skies, lending its soft glow to illuminate the earth below, giving light to help those who had no choice but to stay at the land of the dark. The sky was majestically beautiful—it was filled with innumerable amount of glistering stars, all presenting their captivating auras in a subtle yet very striking way, creating a sight of a fairytale to those lucky enough to set their eyes on them.

It was inside the forest that served as the path from Leaf to Sand.

The forest was even darker than the night itself, because hundreds upon hundreds of leafs on top many huge trees formed a barricade that wouldn't give permission to the ground below them to experience the full beauty of the stars on the heavens. Some of the moon's lights managed to break through them, however, and although they didn't do much to illuminate the forest grounds, their soft radiance in contrast to the seemingly endless darkness that surrounded them provided a surreally mesmerizing sight.

Inside the forest, a flicker of campfire danced quietly inside the ever enveloping dark. A closer look to it, and one could see three people around it—three Ninjas from the Hidden Village of Konoha that stayed on a night's rest not only in order to soothe their wary legs after trekking the forest for days, but also to prepare themselves fully for whatever trials and tribulations time would present to them tomorrow.

…

The dancing flame created a reflection on the eyes of a particular young Jounin who, unlike the rest of his team-mates, has not yet delivered himself to the lands of dreams. Instead, he kept his eyes opened, while his mind flew to faraway places in a faraway time… places only he could tell… time only he could remember…

Naruto sat quietly on the ground next to the campfire.

…The moon might shone its brightest light yet, and the glitter of the stars may have been the most beautiful present the night sky ever gave to fortunate eyes, but Naruto didn't pay any attention to any of them. He didn't set his eyes to them. He chose to ignore them although the view was clearly breathtaking… and in many ways, even tempting.

No.

His eyes were gazing onto something else. Something else that was more mesmerizing. Something else that was more captivating for him compared to even the most beautiful things in the whole world. Something else that managed to create a stir in his heart more powerful than any other things in the world combined.

…He was gazing at Sakura.

…

The pink-haired Kunoichi slept peacefully inside her sleeping bag, right across the location where Naruto chose to sit. She was beautiful. The subtle light of the moon that managed to graze her face strengthened that sentiment wonderfully, making her like a part of a fairy-tale book sprung to life, her beauty unmistakable. Usually, when she was awake, she was a focused young woman, energetic, positive, and oftentimes even inspiring. Right now, however, she looked so peaceful…

The sight of her sleeping so serenely like that under the touch of subtle light from the moon during a night like this was so surreally enchanting for Naruto he could no longer spare his eyes for anything else other than her… It was like the world other than him and the sight of Sakura in front of her was gone. It was like nothing else really mattered anymore. It was like nothing else really important any longer…

…Naruto felt so strongly compelled to get up to his feet and approach her. He felt so strongly compelled to sit right next to her sleeping face, and moved his hands to softly caress that beautiful pink hair of her… The hair that was gently swayed by tender night wind that passed through the forest…

…

…Yet he knew that he couldn't do that.

He knew that no matter how hard he wanted to be that close to her right now, he just couldn't do it. He knew for the longest of time that he had irreplaceable feelings for her, feelings that were so strong that it even possibly outgrew the capacity of word love itself. He knew for the absolute certainty that he loved her. And he was sure that, in more ways than one, she knew he loved her too. Yet for some reason, their relationship, even after all these years, couldn't get any closer than that of a close compatriots and friends.

It's like there's an immeasurable wall erected between them two. An immeasurable, invisible wall of which Naruto that stood on one of its side could clearly see Sakura that stood on the other side. He could see her very closely at that other side of the wall as if they were apart only by the tiniest of distance… he could gaze at her for an eternity without even blinking for a second…

Yet at the same time he knew that he couldn't reach his hands to her. No matter how strong he wanted to grab her into his arms and hug her forever inside, he knew he couldn't do it. Not with that invisible wall still erected between them both. A wall that was made because of the memories of a person… and a lifelong promise Naruto made to her a long time ago that he still, up to this day and very second, yet able to fulfill. A promise to bring back a man he still considered his friend; a man he knew the girl he loved once loved…

…As long as he's still unable to carry out that promise—a promise that was made not only because he wanted to reclaim his lost friend but also more importantly, to make those beautiful lips of her to smile in happiness—that wall between him and her would always be there, unmerciful to his feelings, unmerciful to his desire. There would always be a void between them two, a void that could not be filled with any other thing in the entire world besides the fulfillment of that promise…

…

"Urgh…!"

Naruto suddenly gasped quietly in pain as he put his right palm in front of his mouth, covering it. He coughed a little, carefully manipulating his voice so that it wouldn't wake Sakura or Sai, who was asleep not to far from where he sat.

He continuously committed short burst coughs for a little while, before they finally ended. His chest thumped erroneously as he tried fervently to stabilize his breathing. The sudden pain that just jumped without warning before gradually subsided, and in end it didn't take long for Naruto to be able to calm himself back again.

His right hand was involuntarily trembling slightly, but it didn't faze him. Instead of paying any attention to the slight tremble, he gazed intently to the palm of his right hand that he used to cover his mouth earlier.

…What was there on the surface of his right palm sent a clear message to him. A message that made even him, as one of the most experienced Ninja in Konoha, quiver slightly due to sudden irrepressible emotion caused by it.

…

He grazed the ground with his left palm deliberately and repeatedly. Then, he used his left palm that was filled with dirt and soil from the ground to rub his right palm strongly. Clearly, whatever it was he witnessed there just before, he didn't want to entertain the possibility of anyone else seeing it as well.

He continued to rub both of his palms together for quite a while. He took a good look once more to the surface of his right palm to ensure everything was appropriate, and when he's satisfied, he inhaled a long, deep, breath.

…_Damn_… he muttered quietly inside his mind, his face looked slightly flinching as he exhaled his breath deliberately.

He gave Sakura one final glance, and mouthed off a soft whisper of "_Good night_, _Sakura_-_chan_" before he slowly laid his back on his own sleeping bag, face facing up to the skies, and closed his eyes with the view of the curtains of stars as the last thing he allowed his emerald-blue eyes to see……

* * *

The dancing flame created a reflection on the eyes of a particular young Jounin who, unlike the rest of her team-mates, suddenly found herself awoke from the lands of dreams. Now, she kept her eyes opened, while her mind flew to faraway places in a faraway time… places only she could tell… time only she could remember…

Sakura sat quietly on the ground next to the campfire.

…

For some strange reason, a while ago she suddenly without warning awoke in the middle of her sleep. She usually didn't experience that kind of thing. She was always able to awake on whatever time she planned on awaking before she went to sleep, but she very rarely ever get disrupted in the middle of her sleep like that— except, of course, for situations of dire emergencies, but now she's clearly not in one of those situations.

She was sleeping with her other team-mates, in order to rest themselves up for the resuming of their journey to the Sand the very first thing tomorrow morning. True, they were attacked just earlier, but she didn't feel like those attackers would dare to return for another attempt at them. And it's not because she felt uneasy about the mission they'd about to undertake in the Sand either.

So then, what was the reason for her sudden awake?

…She didn't know for sure. At first, it felt like she's being watched by someone, being watched very closely, very carefully. Yet, when she got up, she found that Naruto and Sai were both already asleep in their own respective sleeping bags, and aside from obvious sounds made by nocturnal animals all around them, she didn't sense any signs of living creatures nearby that could possibly give her a sensation of getting watched.

Although… for some strange reason as well, she didn't feel like she was in any kind of danger at all. In fact, for reasons she couldn't understand, she felt like although she sensed before that she's being watched by someone, she didn't get alarmed by it like when she was watched by an enemy. Instead, she felt strangely safe and calm…… like she knew that someone would always watching her and would do anything to ensure her safety…

…

…The moon might shone its brightest light yet, and the glitter of the stars may have been the most beautiful present the night sky ever gave to fortunate eyes, but Sakura didn't pay any attention to any of them. She didn't set his eyes to them. She chose to ignore them although the view was clearly breathtaking… and in many ways, even tempting.

No. Instead of providing those magnificent views with fractions of her attention, she decided to give it all onto a sight that, for some reason, managed to stir a peaceful, calming sensation inside her heart. It was a sight so simple, yet at the same time so captivating, that she found herself oddly unable to break her eyes off from it, and even feeling content to just sit there and did nothing except to just stare at it.

…She was gazing at Naruto.

…

The blonde-haired Ninja slept in his sleeping bag, right across the location where Sakura sat. The sight of him sleeping so serenely and peacefully like that was, in all of its simplicity, something truly special. It was so contrast to his usual self, the usual Naruto that was always so energetic and cheerful, with happy-go-lucky demeanors and that contagious never-give-up-no-matter-what attitude that he always exhibited in each and every seconds of his waking moment.

The quiet and solemn atmosphere around the campsite provoked Sakura to dwell in her thoughts—thoughts about her, about Naruto, about their relationships, and about how things have changed so many together along with the passing of time…

…

All things changed. She realized that. The only thing possible to stay in constant, unperturbed by the mechanics of time progression was none other than the change itself. She herself has changed. She didn't actually write any notes about the things about her that changed during the course of time, but she's sure to the fact that she has changed. She felt more focused. She felt more accomplished. She felt that she has transformed into a competent individual, a confident Kunoichi that would never have any second thoughts or hesitation to challenge whatever tribulations Fate has in store for her head-on, with her head held high.

She didn't use to be like this. She used to be a person only depending on others to do the dirty job, only watching from behind while others bravely marched forward. But now, that part of her was no longer exist except in some distant memories. And when she gave it a thought, although her transformation happened because of many things and many people, it was first and foremost propelled forward because of this one single blonde Ninja that was asleep in front of her right now.

…

…Speaking about which…

Naruto has changed as well…

People used to detest him, considered him abomination, all because of one thing that he never had any choice to begin with—the fearsome Demon Fox Kyuubi that was sealed inside himself. Most probably he viewed it as a curse, and it's not without good reason: she knew all too well that although Kyuubi sometimes acted as a failsafe when Naruto was plunged into some sort of a mortal danger, it was because of that demon as well that Naruto's life filled with situations that would make many scream in insanity and frustration.

But he didn't give up. He never did. Always getting thrust countless times into dangerous and life-threatening—and oftentimes even seemed helpless situations, he always emerged. Somehow, someway, he always found a way to claw himself back up to the surface no matter how deep the hole he fell into. It was precisely because of this determination of his that he managed to slowly, but surely, grew the list of people willing to put their trusts, and even their very _lives_, in his hands. Sakura would undoubtedly be at the top of that list, for sure. Of course, people who would never want to look past his relationship with Kyuubi no matter what would always still exist, but he outgrew them. If one could pinpoint the greatest of changes that happened to Naruto compared to his old self, it was probably that the current Naruto always seemed…for the lack of a better word… _content_.

…

Things changed, she realized it, and although she also realized that it was nothing more but just wishful thinking, she really wished some things would always stay the same, no matter what. Things that she already so used to in a way, that to have them in any other way would force her to dwell in uneasiness, in awkwardness, in discomfort.

Her relationship with Naruto, for one, would undoubtedly rest as one of the most important of those things. She wished things between them would never change. How Naruto would always joke around when he stood near her, how he would always act so cheerful around her, yet at the same time so dependable when things turned for the worst. How she could just talk freely around him, how she would always be the 'gatekeeper' for Naruto so that he wouldn't act so foolhardy all the time, how she could oftentimes just laughed to all the pranks and jokes and the overall behavior of the blonde Ninja…

She liked that. In fact, she liked it so much it has become one of the most awaited refugees from all of her busy schedules and life. When she was still a Genin and a Chuunin, she was always together with Naruto in missions that she ended up taking his companionship for granted… but when they each became Jounins, times when they could be with each other together were reduced significantly, since each of them had their own businesses and missions to attend to. Now that she gave it a thought, she oftentimes missed those Genin and Chuunin moments… so much so in fact that the most significant reason of her accepting this mission to the Sand was so that she could spend some time together with her old-teammates, most particularly Naruto...

…

If only things could just stay the same no matter what.

But she knew, perhaps instinctively, that would not be the case. Naruto was still his usual self nowadays—every time he met her, he would always seem so cheerful, shot lame but nevertheless amusing jokes to her, and overall act like he always did just like the usual Naruto. But she could see it. She could see through it.

…She could see that Naruto has changed. The way he acted towards her nowadays has somewhat changed. He would still crack his usual lame jokes when he met her, that's for sure, and sometimes she would still laugh at them, but there's something about the way he acted towards her nowadays that's just… different, somehow. If she could explain it in words, it was most probably that he acted… somewhat reserved. It's like he kept his distance from her for some reason… like he was willing to be close to her but couldn't, or unwilling to move further inside… Although she would always think that it was just the burden of his status as a Jounin that mostly caused it to happen, what distraught her the most that his sudden change of behavior grew even more and more obvious with the passing of time, and it would seem that he acted that way only when he got together with her.

…

…Yesterday, she was a bit troubled to the fact that despite he got injuries in his mission, he didn't come directly to her for treatment. The old Naruto would never do that. The old Naruto would _always_ come to her every time he needed _any_ kind of medical treatment, no matter _what_ the circumstances were. But he didn't do it yesterday.

Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps it was no more than just a coincidence that he didn't have the time to meet her to treat his wounds, for whatever reason. But she got the most peculiar of feelings that it wasn't because of a reason as simple as that that he chose not to go to her to treat his wounds yesterday. She felt like Naruto was hiding something from her… and it was upsetting to her that he's still unwilling to share it with her despite the closeness of their relationship. Like he didn't want her to get involved in his own problems no matter how much she actually wanted to help.

…

She was afraid.

She was afraid that his sudden change of behavior was the first sign of him finally feeling fed up with her, and that would let his decision to move away from her. Him being fed up about the state of their relationship, him being fed up that she continuously and deliberately always seemed to choose not to move their relationship further than that of a very close camaraderie and friendship.

…She knew about his feelings for her, of course. It was as clear as the sun that shone brilliantly on a bright day. He always showed his fondness of her ever since they started out as a Genin, and that feeling continued to blossom and develop during all their times together… during all the trials, hardships, and tribulations the two of them faced together side by side. She knew all too well about all the things that he had done for her—all the things that he sacrificed just for her sake. Of course, Naruto was one of those exceptional persons who would never hesitate to do even the greatest of things for the sake of his friends, but she always felt like the things he did for _her_ in particular always seemed so _special_, in a way. She knew he loved her, and most probably would unable to love anyone else other than her…

…And yet…

…She wasn't really sure what she needed to answer if, by some chance, Naruto one day asked for confirmation about what her feelings for him would be. Naruto was a selfless person, and thus he never before asked her directly about her feelings to him, most probably for fear that it would invoke unpleasant memories about…… about _a certain person_, a _certain person _somewhere out there. The fact that Naruto never asked her that question was a thing that made her grateful, because she's afraid that even if she tried to answer that hypothetical question, she wouldn't be able to and in the end would just disappoint and sadden him further.

It felt like all these times he seemed already content without feeling the need to request a definitive answer from her about the state of their relationship.

But no matter how patient someone could become, she knew each person got their own breaking points somewhere along the line. She's afraid that Naruto would become sick for allowing himself to be filled with unrequited feelings for so long, feelings he couldn't disperse forcefully and yet unable to fulfill. She knew all too well how painful the feeling of having an unrequited love could be… since she once had that same feeling too, many years ago, a feeling she dedicated to a _certain person_…

…She didn't have the same feeling again now for sure…… or at the very least she _thought_ that she didn't have it anymore…

…Truthfully, she didn't know what to say or do if, by some chance, someday _he _returned to the Village. She wasn't entirely sure what her feelings would be. Some might say she should be like this, and some might say she should be like that, but emotions were something much more complicated than that… one just couldn't simply follow some arbitrary "rules" about emotions because there're simply no rules about it—no textbook, no manual, no guidelines about them. Thus, because of it, she couldn't answer the question yet. She couldn't answer it truthfully before she could sort out her own feelings towards _that certain person_…

Perhaps then, when she's able to accomplish that, she could answer Naruto's unspoken expectations towards her with the utmost confidence in her voice… without fear… without hesitation.

…

Sakura sighed.

…_Pathetic_, she thought to himself exasperatedly. _After all these years_,_ after all that's happened_,_ and you still can't make up your mind_…

…

"Anyway, _stupid_ girl," she said quietly to herself, "Let's just focus on the mission at hand first. You can think nonsense all you want after this mission is over… And besides…"

For a moment, she got lost once again in her thoughts, apparently thinking about something.

"It can wait, at least for now, I hope…" she finally murmured, "…I'll ask Kakashi-Sensei myself about it when we get back…"

She gazed once again to Naruto, his adorably peaceful sleeping face gave a comfortable stir inside her heart.

…

"_Good night_, _Naruto_," she whispered quietly.

She leaned back on her sleeping bag, and she let the view of the glittering stars to become the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes and entered to the blissful world of dreams.

* * *

-**Somewhere Out There**

It was night. The surrounding area inside the forest was pitch black, with only a handful of light managed to break through the fortress of leafs constructed by hundreds of towering trees that soar to the heavens. Because of the darkness, normally it would be an exceptionally difficult and tremendous task to navigate through the forest efficiently—if just walking around would be a difficult task, one could only imagine the difficulty of having to jump from tree to tree at very high speed when even the smallest of mishap could turn ugly.

However, four shadowy figures did just that. They jumped from tree to tree in such a speed their movements were almost a blur. They were able to do that quite flawlessly too, regardless to the fact that the situation only allowed very poor visibility. Obviously, not only those four were far for ordinary people, they have also traversed through this area often enough to know the terrain even with their eyes closed.

…

"So!" one of those four figures—a young lady with an unruly short reddish hair—claimed as she stepped on a tree branch masterfully before jumping on to the next.

"So what?" said her speaking partner, a young man that looked apparently not too far from her in terms of age. Behind them, there're also two other people, jumping trees together in unison, side by side—their expression looked very stoic and indifferent to their surroundings it's almost eerie.

"What do you think about those Jounins you stalked?" the young lady asked again, "Well, I suppose I shouldn't really ask since you practically _ran_ away from them, but humor me, please."

She laughed a little.

"It's not funny, you know," the young man looked annoyed, "I almost got myself capped in two back then. Damn that blonde Jounin. I've never seen anyone so recklessly dangerous like him. What's his name? Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yeah, that's his name," she nodded, "…Was it really that impressive, though? That Jutsu of his?"

"Enough to scare the crap out of me, that's for sure," he replied straight-forwardly, "Although, that's not to say that I wouldn't be able to figure out its one or two weaknesses, for sure. Oh, I guess it's also worth mentioning that I thought it was him also that managed to detect me and my boys following them back then—he got some very sharp senses, to be sure… it was quite impressive."

"Hmm…" the young girl mused, "What about the Kunoichi?"

"As about Haruno Sakura-san, I didn't actually see her do much, but from what I could tell…" he made some exaggerated hand gestures, "She possessed a truly incredible strength coupled with what I could only say as exceptional chakra control, at the very least."

"Incredible strength?" she appeared somewhat surprised to hear it.

"Yup," he nodded, "A saw her hit a large branch. It wasn't just destroyed to pieces—it practically _disintegrated_ to dust. You couldn't do that without delivering an especially powerful and concentrated strike, and in order to be able to commit such attack, you need to be able to mold your chakra control into near perfection. I am not even sure either you or me could perform a trick like that as flawless as her. If her punch ever connects with us even in the slightest, say good-bye to the world, my friend."

"Hoh…" the young lady muttered—she seemed somewhat interested.

"I asked around in the Village too…" the young mad added, "Looks like all the talk about her being the best Medical Ninjutsu specialist around wasn't just a rumor after all. Well, I suppose it's a given since she's very good with her chakra control. And one more thing that makes her even _more_ awesome…"

"…What?" the young lady wasn't entirely sure it would be the best course of action to ask, since her talking opponent flashed a rather annoying-looking grin on his face.

"…She's gorgeous, man!" he gave her thumbs up.

She sighed exasperatedly.

"What about the other one?" she immediately asked him before he could blabber any further about his newfound idol, "There were three, right?"

"Oh… right," he said, thinking, "I didn't see him do anything _at all_, so I am not sure. …Although, he looked very calm during the entire ordeal back then. Almost eerily calm, even. Well, he's on the same team as Uzumaki and Haruno-san, so I suppose he should be a pretty tough Ninja as well."

…

-Swooshh-

Without even looking to his front while evading a near-miss large branch coming to his face, the young man asked to his companion,

"So what about you?" he asked, "How's Konoha Sixth Hokage?"

"Oh he's great alright," the young lady smiled, "One look at him and you could immediately tell what kind of person he is. He's strong. He actually managed to detect me although I did my best to hide my presence from him."

"Seriously?" the young man looked a bit surprised, "He was able to detect you even with your specialized Jutsu? Well that was unexpected!"

"Yup," she nodded gleefully—for some reason, the fact that Kakashi was able to detect her spurred her to smile instead of worry, "Not just that, he's incredibly fast too—perhaps even faster compared to our Leader. I managed to escape him just barely. Also, his usual self is already very strong, and when you counted in the fact that he has…"

She pointed a finger to her left eye.

"Oh…" the young man looked excited, "So it's true, then. That there're actually _two_ Sharingan users left in this world. One is the man that our Leader is after, and the other one is Konoha's Sixth Hokage…… very interesting. I wish I could see it just once. I want to fight one of the Sharingan users just once, to actually see with my own eyes just how strong they really are."

"I don't know about the man our Leader is after…" the young lady gave a thought as she gazed to him, "But I'm not sure that even _you_ will be capable of standing on the same ground as the Hokage in a fair fight… defeating him may prove to be a too much difficult task for you to handle."

"Hm…" the expression on his face didn't change at all regardless of her assessment, "How about you then? Do you think you have what it takes to best him?"

The young lady didn't say anything to that question. The only answer she gave to him was an unfathomable expression on her face. She looked somewhat serious, though, and the young man somehow had no more inclination to pursue the matter further.

…

They continued to jump from trees to trees amidst the pitch black surrounding for a while, before the young girl all of a sudden raised her left hand, making the entire group immediately stopped their movements at the same time.

"Wait!" she said swiftly, "We're here."

She jumped to the ground down below, with the rest of the group followed her movements.

She gazed at her front—it was a peculiar thing to do since nothing was there on the direction of her eyes except for what seemed to be hundreds upon hundreds of towering trees shrouded in darkness.

"Is this it?" said the young man that landed right next to her, "I hate this kind of thing, you know. It makes the task of finding our own secret base a pain in the highest degree. I always missed it. I doubt anyone would ever visit this part of the world, anyway."

"It's just for precaution," the young lady answered evenly as she raised both of her hands to her chest, "We're not affiliated with any of the countries in the world. In fact, you could say that our existence most probably is something that no countries in this world would approve. If they ever managed to find our base, there's no telling what they would do to our group. We can't be too careful."

"Yeah, I suppose," the young man scratched his hair, "Anyway, hurry up and dispel the barrier, will you? We need to see Leader immediately to report our infiltration to Konoha… I hope he's not going to be _too_ upset with us going there on our own."

"Don't worry… he won't," she replied coolly, "Not after hearing what we have to say."

She chanted something as her hands made multiple hand-seals. Then, all of a sudden she kneeled as she thrust both her palms on the ground, making a distinct 'thud' sound as they made contact.

…

-RRrrrRR-

In what could only be described as an unbelievable spectacle, the towering trees in front of them suddenly started to shake like their roots were disturbed by a very powerful earthquake. They then dissolved, disappeared gradually in a slow motion one by one. It was truly a bewildering sight. Even stranger was the fact that the disappearance of numerous towering trees in front of those four didn't cause any sort of noise whatsoever, like someone mysteriously flicked the volume button all the way down.

When all has been done, what stood in front of the group of four were no longer the trees of the forest. In their places, now spread a rather large field, with what would appear to be an entrance to an underground cave located at its center. Other than this truly strange sight, the forest all around it seemed unchanged, and even the inhabitants of the forest did not seem disturbed by the sudden presence of the mysterious cave.

…

"Hufh…" the young lady stood back up. She looked somewhat tired as she tried to normalize her breathing that has accelerated slightly.

"Are you alright?" the young man asked, "Dispelling such a huge and elaborate Genjutsu is such a tiresome thing to do, isn't it?"

"I'm fine," she waved her hand dismissively, "Anyway, more importantly, let's go now, before some stupid Ninja wander around here and witness the entrance while the Genjutsu is dispelled."

"You two," the young man glanced to the other two on their group who so far haven't even spoken a single word yet, "Thank you for your help. Now, return to me. Return to where you belong."

The other two nodded their head slightly, and then something not less spectacular than the sight of numerous towering trees suddenly disappeared happened. They twitched—at first only slightly, and then gradually became faster, faster, and faster. They twitched crazily like they were being pulled with strings by numerous people from all directions consecutively—it was a very eerie sight. Then, like someone just snapped his fingers, they stopped abruptly.

They opened their mouths, and from there came out two very sticky, very disgusting looking blackish slimes, like they were crawling from their insides to the outside. The revolting slimes slid down from the corners of their mouths to their neck, their chest, their stomach, their legs, onto the ground. Those two suddenly fell to the ground, their eyes turned black, and then in a strange twist of events, their bodies started to disintegrate to dust… reduced to nothingness in a matter of seconds.

The slimes then slid their way through the ground to the direction of the young man who, for some reason, looked positively delighted watching their movements.

The slimes, once they have reached the young man's leg, crawled upwards through his body quickly. Through his thighs, his stomach, his chest, his neck…… when the slimes have reached his neck, the young man inexplicably opened his mouth wide and for some twisted reason, he let the disgusting looking slimes to enter his mouth without hesitation. Once they're inside his mouth, he closed his jaw and started to _chew_.

It took probably three to four seconds before he finally completed whatever it was that he's doing, and after that, he gave a big smile to the young lady who only watched all of his acts with a disgusted expression on her face.

…

"No matter how many times I saw your Jutsu, it never failed to disgust me," she said with a revolted look on her face.

"But even _you_ can't deny its usefulness though," he replied nonchalantly, "If it's not because of my Jutsu, we wouldn't be able to complete phase one of our plan and that would surely make things so much harder for all of us, right?"

"Whatever," she said grimly, "Let's go."

They dashed themselves towards the entrance of the cave. Seconds after they've entered it, the cave entrance all of a sudden quaked, and descends slowly to the ground to disappear entirely from the view. From the ground all around where the entrance was before, numerous trees suddenly appeared, and they ascend themselves towards the sky with incredible speed. Not long after the view was restored just like before—a group of tall trees standing inside dark forest with nothing unusual in sight.

Their traces were gone.

* * *

**-Underground Cave**

"Where have you been, Kaede? Seto?"

A stern face welcomed the pair as soon as they entered the cave. Unexpectedly, the room under the ground of which the previous entrance finally led to was very spacious. In fact, it was probably large enough to even contain one or two medium-sized houses.

…

The sight inside, however, was definitely very unprepossessing. The room, or the hall, of the cave was divided into two floors, and each floor were practically consisted of nothing but inhumane cells cramped with people of all kinds—young, old, men, women, and even children of all age. It was a terrifying sight to see all of those people contained within small cells, all looked painfully suffering because of one thing of another. Some growled pathetically, others begged for mercy, while the rest looked frustrated beyond reasoning. Many even looked as though they thought it would be much better for them to just die instead of living, and horrifically some of the cells also contained the corpses, or remains of the dead, most probably the result of those who could no longer handle the pressures and opt to end their own suffering by their own hands.

All the growling, the yells, the cries of suffering did not seem to faze either Kaede or Seto in the slightest—neither they affected the one that greeted them. There're also probably around fifteen to sixteen men and women overall patrolling the hall, bypassing the cells one by one, and they all looked eerily uncaring and downright indifferent to all of suffering that happened all around them.

…

"I ask you again," the person once again glared at the two that just arrived, "Where have you been?"

This greeting person was a bald young man, probably two or three years older then the pair that just entered the hall. His style was undeniably distinct: he wore a pitch-black cloak with nothing but a single eye symbol latched on his back. The cloak covered his entire body from his upper neck all the way to the bottom of his feet. There was a very visible looking scar stretched on his forehead—a scar so hideous and scary one could only wonder under what kind of situation that could cause it, and how it's possible for the young man to have survived a wound of such magnitude on his head.

One other thing that seemed so unusual about the bald man was the fact that he… didn't open his eyes at the slightest. His eyelids were tightly shut even though he's currently addressing his companions. It was as if that he was…

"Blind as you may be, you never cease to amaze me, Hideo-san," Seto said coolly, "You always seemed able to detect the presence of others accurately under any circumstances. I suppose it's true when they said blind men have sharpened senses as replacements for their missing sight."

"We're not talking about _my_ missing sight," the bald young man named Hideo replied unsympathetically, "We're talking about your unexplainable lack of presence during the time when we were supposed to prepare ourselves for the commencement of Leader's plan in Sand. Explain yourself."

"Calm down, man," Seto said, "Thanks to Leader's invention and my Jutsu, we have managed to secure the first phase of our plan, right? I have done my job, thought I could have some fun while waiting for the results to show up in the Sand, eh?"

Hideo was clearly not amused by Seto's lack of explanation, because he was glaring at him mercilessly.

"Actually, Hideo-san," Kaede answered composedly, "I think it would be best if we explain ourselves directly to the Leader. We infiltrated Konoha and managed to encounter the Sixth Hokage, plus the Jounins by the name of Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. I am sure Leader will be interested in hearing our explanations."

Hideo looked slightly surprised when he heard those names mentioned by Kaede. He still had that displeased expression on his face, but it was inarguable that he looked somewhat intrigued as well.

…

"…Very well," he said quietly, "Leader also wished to speak to you. He apparently already had his own ideas about your supposed whereabouts, but nevertheless, he'd still like to speak with you two directly. I'll accompany you to his chamber."

"Fine," Kaede nodded.

The three of them then walked into one of the tunnels that connected itself to the hall. It would appear that the large hall served as some sort of a central hub that has accesses to several different locations on the underground cave, with multiple tunnels attached there that led to multiple rooms.

Those three picked up the most northern one. It was a very long tunnel, and somewhere midway through it descended quite steeply even further down. The only illuminations provided inside the tunnel came from several large candles placed on top of candle holders attached occasionally on the walls. Other than that, the tunnel provided no other distraction whatsoever, except for occasional drip of water ground that fell from its ceilings.

Overall, the hallway had a very dark atmosphere about it, and somehow it could also be said that it provoked a rather unexplainable feeling of dread which grew increasingly bigger the further anyone went inside it.

It took several long minutes for those three to traverse through the tunnel, an activity that they spent together in silence. In the end, a door could be seen at the finish line—the mere sight of it suddenly evoked an apprehensive expression on those three, an expression that suggested that whatever room was behind that door, they wouldn't expect to see rainbows and flowers once they opened it.

"Leader hasn't gone out from his room yet?" Kaede muttered quietly.

"No," Hideo replied solemnly, "Not for the last couple of days. He seemed busy doing… _something_. Even I don't have a distinct enough idea about his activities inside his chamber."

"Huh…" Seto mumbled softly, "Hey, by the way, about the first phase of our plan—when it will begin to take effect? I'd hate it if all of my efforts gone to waste…"

"Leader said it will start to take its full effect _tomorrow,_ just as planned—a day before the Raikage arrives in the Sand," Hideo said matter-of-factly, "Do not worry. It was something that our Leader himself invented—if, by some chance, things don't go out as planned, it'll be your fault instead of his."

Seto looked annoyed, and for a second it appeared like he wanted to say something to retort, but in the end he didn't say anything else.

They quietly approached the door. Hideo opened it, and then they entered the room behind it one by one.

…

……

The room was immense, and it was generally well lit thanks to various well-placed lamps spread throughout, a nice change from the dark atmosphere so profound on the tunnel before. However, it also provided a truly unearthly sight for those who unfortunate enough to land their eyes upon it.

The most eye-catching element inside the room was without a doubt the numerous giant tubes spread across the room. The giant tubes were connected with various large cables that spread all over the floor, and they exuded a constant soft 'bmmmm' sound that signified they were turned on for some purpose. However, the most chilling thing about the tubes was not the appearances of the tubes themselves, but more like the things contained within their bodies.

…Floating human bodies—of all kinds, of all sizes: men, women, young, adult, elderly… all could be seen contained within the tubes. They didn't appear to be alive as they floated within the yellowish liquid inside the tubes, with their bodies injected with seemingly innumerable amount of cables of all types and sizes.

Some of the tubes even more eerily contained _parts_ of human bodies: severed hands, severed legs, torsos, and even _brains_… they were also injected with various cables of all types and sizes.

As if the unholy sights of human bodies and body parts floating inside the tubes weren't enough, the room was also filled with what appeared to be numerous corpses laid down on numerous white beds. Just like the bodies inside the tubes, the corpses were also of many different kinds: men, women, young, adult, elderly… They were also connected with cables that led to various kinds of equipments. The terrifying thing was that most of them were in a truly bad shape—missing body parts, opened heads, ripped torsos, unrecognizable wounds, broken faces…… It was a sight that would make even the bravest of men gag in revulsion and horror.

…

However, amazingly, the three that just entered the room didn't pay any attention to any of those horrific sights. Distracting as they might be, their attentions were instead devoted onto something else: a single man, sitting casually on a chair at the northern part of the room. He was reading a book, aided by a small lamp placed on a small table nearby.

That man was perhaps the only 'normal' thing existed in this room—but then again, maybe he wasn't. Maybe it would be a lot more precise to say that that instead of the only normal thing, he was in fact the _most_ abnormal thing in this room. How could person read a book in a composed and relaxed kind of way, seemingly unbothered in the slightest by the unearthly sights and horrific atmosphere of the room that surrounded him, seemingly indifferent by all of the corpses and bodies spread throughout the same room as him? It was very eerie, unnatural, and downright uncanny.

…

The three approached him apprehensively.

When the man sensed them getting closer, he lifted his eyes from the book he read and gazed directly at the approaching party.

"…Ah…" he said calmly as he put down the book he read on his lap, "So you two have returned."

"…Yes," Kaede replied—she looked somewhat anxious, "Yes, we have."

"So…" he said composedly as he leaned his back on the chair he sat on, "Tell me. Tell me about your visit to Konoha. It must be an eventful one, I presume."

"Yes," she nodded again, "Yes, we will tell you everything right now…… Kabuto-sama."

* * *

**-The Sand**

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai dashed blazingly towards the Sand Village's Entrance that they could see looming in the distance. Ever since they woke up from their rest the very first thing this morning, they ran continuously as fast as they could towards the Sand non-stop.

Naruto, in particular, just didn't have enough patience to wait any further to arrive in the Sand. He had that excited look on his face all the time ever since he woke up—the thought of being able to meet Gaara after so long made him eager to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

…However, when they're about to reach the entrance, Sakura—who managed to keep up with Naruto and ran exactly at his side despite his overflowing enthusiasm—noticed something with her eyes. She noticed something so unusual happening at the entrance, she felt the need of immediately telling both Naruto and Sai although they're about to arrive there regardless.

"Naruto, Sai!" she yelled, "Look!"

Both Naruto and Sai looked up to see what was going on.

Sakura was correct—something unusual definitely happened. There's some sort of a ruckus surging in the entrance, and instead of standing over at their posts watching the perimeter, the guards were instead in the middle of something terribly urgent.

"…I wonder what's going on," Sai muttered questioningly.

Naruto suddenly got a bad feeling—the expression of excitement on his face was quickly replaced with worry.

Without even thinking, he accumulated some extra chakra on his feet and dashed himself even faster towards the entrance.

…

……

"I will go to the Leaf myself!" Temari said urgently as she tucked her giant fan on a holder tightened to her back—for some reason, she looked somewhat tired and her overall attire appeared like they just went through some busy times, "You all keep guarding over the entrance, and under _no _circumstances you will let anyone comes in, or _comes out_! Understood?"

The men of whom she spoke to showed heavy concerns on their faces.

"B…but, Lady Temari," one of them voiced his opinions, "…W…what should we do if they forcibly try to break through us? Should we… _kill_ them? B… but if we do that, that means…… Because no matter what, they're still…"

"……" Temari stayed quiet. She had a pained expression on her face, and expression that didn't show any indication that she too had the best answer for the question.

The men looked at each other. They all looked visibly frustrated.

Then, one of them suddenly looked something.

"Hey, look!" he said loudly, "I…it's _them_!"

All of the people there quickly turned their heads as the Jounins of the Leaf finally arrived in front of them, their faces looked concerned.

"Oh…" Temari muttered. The reaction on her face when she saw them arrive was best described as immeasurably relieved. It's as if an extremely heavy burden from her chest suddenly fell off, and the expression of pain that was so visible on her face before was quickly replaced with an expression of hope.

…

It didn't take a genius to figure that something was off, and the Jounins of the Leaf wasted no time to immediately ask questions.

"What happened, Temari-san?" Sakura was the first one to ask question as she approached the seemingly bushed Temari, "Has something happened?"

"…Haruno-san…" Temari muttered fervently, "Yeah, something terrible suddenly happened this morning… We haven't got _any_ clue whatsoever about the cause… and the Sand is now in the state of chaos because of this… and…"

"Calm down," Sai said composedly, "Take a deep breath, and explain to us the full situation clearly. There's no use for unnecessary haste."

Temari shot a look towards Sai. She gazed at him intently for a few seconds, like she was scrutinizing him. In the end though, she nodded.

…

"Okay," she said, "…You see…"

Before she could say anything however, a sudden urgent shout immediately shifted everybody's attention.

"WATCH OUT!" said one of the entrance guards that came from way inside, "WATCH OUT! SOMEONE BROKE THROUGH!"

Without warning, a figure of a young Kunoichi suddenly leapt towards Temari from behind. With her right hand, she thrust a Kunai directed straight towards Temari's torso. It all happened so fast the Fan Kunoichi didn't have a proper time to react.

-TRAAK!-

Fortunately, Naruto was quick on the move—just one second late, and the Kunai would most definitely pierce through Temari without mercy. With incredible speed, he formed a Rasengan ball with his right hand and quickly side-stepped in between Temari and the assailing Kunoichi. He pushed the Rasengan ball directly towards the Kunai, making direct forceful contact with it.

The Rasengan ball literally 'ate' the Kunai up, as the weapon disintegrated as the ball touched it. When Naruto forcefully pushed the ball even further, it disintegrated the Kunai entirely and finally made contact with the Kunoichi's hand.

The result was spectacular. As soon as the Rasengan hit, the Kunoichi's hand was forcefully twisted to the same direction as the rotation of the ball, and it pulled the rest of her body to spin onto the same circular direction. The effect of the impact was very apparent—the Kunoichi was pushed backwards as her entire body spun uncontrollably. She flew backwards like she was a rag doll getting hit by something extraordinarily powerful.

-DRAKKK!-

Her body was getting slammed very powerfully into the one side of the Sand Village Entrance's walls, making a very distinct, loud impact noise that was enough to make even Sakura winced. The force of the impact was very apparent—the wall itself broke apart as the body of the Kunoichi was practically implanted there, with her legs facing upwards and her face on down below because of the uncontrollable spin earlier.

-Drrkk- -Drkkkk-

-Brugh!-

That part of the wall then crumbled, along with the body of the Kunoichi that fell on the ground, now clearly unconscious with her face kissing the ground.

"Are you alright, Temari-san?" Naruto said as he glanced to her.

It took Temari a few seconds to register what just happened to her, and in the end all she could say was, "Y…yeah, thank you," accompanied with a nod.

…For a while, everybody from the Sand didn't say anything—they seemed to become at lost for words after having witnessed with their own eyes just how powerful Naruto's Jutsu could be. Even Sai looked somewhat amused.

Sakura, however, didn't dwindle long to be impressed by it. She immediately jumped towards the now-unconscious Kunoichi, wanting to examine her. When she turned the Kunoichi around, however, she saw something that caused her great surprise.

The unconscious Kunoichi wore a Ninja Headband on her forehead.

And the symbol on that Headband was clearly that of the Sand.

..._What the_… Sakura mused inside her mind, _She's a Sand Ninja_? _But then_, _why did she_…?

…

She turned and gave a questioning look at Temari.

"What's going on here?" she asked, "Why…"

"I'll explain everything later," Temari said hastily, "At first I planned to go to the Leaf to request for aid, but since you three are already here… I suppose you're here because of the letter sent by Gaara, right? Unfortunately just today…"

She paused for a second, before saying, "…Let's help my brothers first, and then we'll talk."

She gave a signal to the rest of the men surrounding the area, and they all nodded understandingly. Then, without saying anything, she dashed towards the Village, without sparing even the slightest of glances towards the unconscious Sand Kunoichi that unexpectedly attacked her earlier.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai looked at each other for a second.

They nodded at each other.

Then, without further ado, they immediately followed Temari and entered the Village of Sand, without knowing… what awaited them inside.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *


	5. Fifth Episode

-This is probably the most difficult chapter to write compared to any other chapters already featured in this story so far. Sometimes, particularly when writing down Sakura examination scenes in this chapter, I feel like asking myself, "Dude, _**what the hell**_ you just typed anyway?" Hahaha. I hope it turns out okay in the end, though.

-To be honest, although I will continue writing this fiction regardless, the amount of reviews I've gotten so far for this story is kind of…discouraging, to say the least. Well… thanks anyway for the very kind souls that have read, reviewed, and/or put my story in their favorite/alert list. **Much appreciated**.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

* * *

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

-Fifth Episode-

* * *

"_The most wonderful of all things in life_, _I believe_, _is the discovery of another human being with whom one_'_s relationship has a glowing depth_, _beauty_, _and joy as the years increase_. _This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing_, _it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it_. _It is a sort of Divine accident_."—**Sir High Walpoe**

* * *

**-The Sand**

"What the…"

Naruto couldn't help but to turn his head around as he, along with Sakura and Sai, followed Temari who ran hurriedly in front of them. So did Sakura, and she even oftentimes gasped in horror when her eyes gazed at the view presented to her from the surroundings. Even Sai couldn't hide his own misgivings about it.

They were clearly befuddled, because the sights around them were just simply unbelievable. No matter where they turn their heads or cast their eyes to, all they could see was numerous battles engaged by Sand Ninjas against one another—some even looked as serious as a fight with their own lives at the stake.

The overall atmosphere around them was very chaotic, with people running around, shouting, or fighting each other in fierce battles.

Naruto was occasionally tempted to stop them fighting with one another, but he hesitated to do so because Temari didn't even stop her steps to do it. He could see flashes of pained expression on her face as she saw her own countrymen fought with one another, but regardless, she gritted her teeth and continued on running forward.

…

"T…Temari-san!" Sakura appeared mortified to witness the sights presented around her, "W…what's going on here? Why the Sand people are fighting with each other?"

"Even we ourselves have no idea," Temari said, her fist strongly clenched, "…This morning… all of a sudden we received reports of strange conducts committed by our own citizens. They out of the blue without warning attacked each other without any reason whatsoever. Even some of the Sand Ninjas, without any explanation or anything, suddenly acted that way too. Next thing we know, we have our own people fighting life and death battles against our own kind. I…"

Her voice trailed off—clearly, she was in a state of emotional pain and frustration.

"You don't know the cause?" Sai asked as he glanced onto one of the battles fought between Sand Ninjas far to his right.

Temari shook her head.

"…We figured it's probably some kind of illness, though even our best Medical Ninja was unable to find anything wrong with those that we managed to subdue," Temari explained grimly, "Although… one thing's for sure: whatever it was, it's contagious, because it seemed like with each passing hours those who acted strangely like that continued to grow in numbers. It happened so abruptly, so fast, so sudden."

"Gaara!" Naruto suddenly shouted urgently, "What about Gaara? Don't tell me he's…!"

"Do not worry," Temari answered briefly, "Kankurou and Gaara are still themselves, thankfully. We gathered those who're still unaffected inside Sand's Hospital, guarded by some of our finest Ninjas who're still sane. Some of us also tasked to guard the Village's entrance so that those affected couldn't escape—if news were to spread out about our citizens going crazy, attacking one another…… there's no telling what other country would do to us."

She sighed exasperatedly.

"Not to mention tomorrow the Raikage is scheduled to arrive here," she said darkly, "What a very bad string of unfortunates."

…

Sakura swiveled her head around, carefully analyzing the hectic situation around her where fighting amongst Sand's citizens and Ninjas still ensued.

"It seems like those who are affected do not actually actively search for a specific target," she gave her analysis, "They do not choose. They just fight whoever the person happens to stumble in front of them."

Temari glanced at her.

"Yes, that's true," she replied sullenly, "Though, it's not exactly good news either. Leaf's Medical Ninjutsu is a lot more advanced compared to ours, so that's why I originally wanted to go there, asking for help. If it's you, Haruno-san, you might be able to find the cause and hopefully, the cure. I don't know how much longer Sand will be able to hold on if this continues to happen."

"I'll see what I can do to help," Sakura clenched her fist, "For now, let us just go to the Hospital. Let me examine the affected ones that you managed to subdue…, perhaps I'll be able to find something…"

"Is this by any chance a result of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or…?" Naruto muttered.

"I don't think that's the case," Sakura shook her head doubtfully, "I've never heard a Jutsu that could affect so many people at this kind scale. No… most probably it's something else… although I'm not sure what."

"Whatever the case, we must find it as soon as possible," Sai said, "Or the repercussions for Sand will be too great to handle. And who knows—the same thing could happen to Leaf in the future also."

"Alright then!" Naruto nodded, "Let's…!"

Suddenly, his eyes caught a view of something. Something that immediately made him halted his steps and stood still apprehensively. Because of that, the rest of the group also stopped their run.

"What's wrong?" Temari said urgently.

Sakura and Sai immediately turned their heads to the direction where Naruto cast his gaze onto. There, on the middle of the street, sat a very young girl, probably around four to five years of age. She held a doll tightly on her arms, and it was obvious that she was crying heavily.

What bothered Naruto the most was the fact that there're two suspicious-looking Sand Ninjas could be seen approaching the girl from other sides of the street. Judging by the way they're holding their Kunais on their hands, it was extremely doubtful that good intentions were the reason behind their movements.

"Damn it!" without even thinking Naruto dashed towards the crying girl as fast as he could when he saw to his horror the two Sand Ninjas leapt towards her with their Kunais thrust forward.

Sakura, Sai, and Temari all watched in trepidation as Naruto ran towards girl, and grabbed her within her arms. While carrying the girl, he immediately catapulted himself back to the direction where the rest of his team-mates were watching, and his action was just in the nick of time—just a second after he jumped back, the Sand Ninjas' Kunais reached the spot where the girl sat before.

When they saw their Kunais didn't reach the intended targets, the Ninjas let out a horrific-sounding growl out from their mouths. Then, they turned their heads towards Naruto and the girl, their eyes flashing dangerously. Naruto had never seen anything like that before—of course, he had seen countless times people with malicious killing intents before, but this time it was different. It wasn't just a killing intent; it was something…… more. It was something more terrifying.

He had never seen people with those kinds of eyes before—it even managed to send a shiver down his spine.

The two Sand Ninjas suddenly leapt towards Naruto and the girl. Naruto, who had anticipated this, quickly jumped backwards—with the girl in his arm, he had difficulties performing hand-seals, so he thought the best course of action was to escape instead of fighting. Even if he could fight, he wouldn't, since it would most probably compromise the safety of the girl.

Naruto continued to jump backwards, while the Sand Ninjas continued to chase after him.

Suddenly, Naruto felt something whizzed past him.

To his amazement and great relief, he saw two paint-made _huge_ lions ran past him, roared magnificently, and then they shot themselves with amazing speed towards the Sand Ninjas. The Ninjas clearly didn't expect something like that, and they didn't have good enough reflexes to evade the incoming beasts. They tried to cut the beasts with the Kunais—the blades went through the beasts but they were seemingly unaffected by it, because their bodies were made entirely out of paint.

-BRUUUUUGH!-

The impact the lions made when they ram their bodies onto the Ninjas were clearly very obvious—the collision caused a very distinct sound, and the Ninjas themselves as a result were thrown a few meters backwards and slammed onto a wall of a nearby building, smashing some signposts along the way.

Naruto didn't waste any time to continue jumping backwards to where the rest of his team-mates waited, as he didn't have any time to sympathize with the fate of the Sand Ninjas who brusquely fell down with their faces kissing the ground. Contrary to them, the lions landed gracefully on the ground—they let out menacing growl once more before suddenly their bodies dispersed causing hoards of paints to fell to the ground.

Naruto suddenly winced a bit, as if out of a blue a pain emerged within himself without him prepared for it. He coughed a little. However, when he arrived to the sides of the others, everything returned to normal and he looked just fine. He gave an appreciative nod to Sai, who just smiled as he tucked back his scrolls into the bag he carried on his back.

"Are you alright?" Naruto immediately let go of his grip to the little girl and kneeled in front of her, his expression looked worried.

The little girl gazed at him for a moment, before nodding quietly. She has stopped her cries, though her eyes still looked bloody red.

"What are you doing in the middle of a street like that?" Naruto asked hastily, "…Where are your parents?"

"………" she didn't answer the question, but the expression on her face clearly suggested that she was about ready to burst out her tears again.

"Okay, okay, that's fine," Naruto quickly tapped her head again in an attempt to calm her down, "That's alright… you're safe now. Come with us to the Hospital—perhaps your parents were already there."

The young girl was quiet for a moment, before she nodded weakly.

"We need to move fast," Temari reminded the group, "Otherwise, we might get attacked by the affected Sand Ninjas or citizens again."

"Alright," Naruto scooped the little girl into his arms again, unaware of Sakura looking intently for a few seconds at him.

"Let's go," Temari said hurriedly.

* * *

**-The Sand Hospital**

"Temari-san!" the guards at the front of the hospital seemed surprised when they saw Temari ran towards them in a hurry.

Their looks of worry, however, were quickly replaced by looks of relief, when they saw the rest of her entourage. They looked surprised, but glad nevertheless.

"Everything is alright?" Temari asked briskly when she arrived in front of them, "The affected ones didn't attack the hospital?"

"Some of them tried to attack us, though we managed to repel them off, so far," one of the guards nodded to his left—there the group witnessed three unconscious Sand Ninjas lumped together against a wall, "It's getting more and more difficult though, Temari-san. It's hard for us to hold back when they tried so adamantly to kill us, but since they are our own countrymen… we have no choice, do we? For some reason, they seemed stronger too, compared to their usual abilities…"

"I see…" Temari said quietly, "Well… we have Konoha's Haruno Sakura-san with us—she'll help us figure things out. Hopefully the situation can be remedied before Raikage's arrival tomorrow—we're shorthanded as it is without this thing happening to us."

"Understood," the other guard nodded as he looked to Sakura appreciatively, while the one's getting looked at just smiled, "…Please proceed. I'm sure Kazekage-sama would be pleased having you return so quickly."

"Alright, be careful you two, and keep up the good work," she gave a signal to Konoha Ninjas to follow her as she ran inside the hospital.

…

……

What was seen inside the hospital, in some ways, reminded Sakura to the view inside Leaf's Hospital when Konoha and its allies just managed to barely won against the entire group of Akatsuki a few years back in the Legendary War. Not the amount of bodies or the amount of wounded, but the desperation and sadness so vividly displayed on almost everybody's faces that made the Hospital their temporary refuge. The overall atmosphere was dark, grim, and pessimistic.

The expression on their faces was a mix of desperation, frustration, and anger. Even she as a veteran Medical Ninjutsu practitioner would have a hard time dealing with that kind of wounds—wounds that were made not by physical scars, but emotional ones.

They all turned their heads as Temari bolted through the Hospital's hallway with Leaf Ninjas. Some didn't even waste any time to point their fingers to them, whispers quickly filled the room. A faint air of hope suddenly intruded itself inside.

"Where's Gaara?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"He's upstairs, on the third floor, along with Kankurou and the Village's Council Members," Temari replied, "Haruno-san, the Medical Examination Room is on third floor too. If you don't mind, it would be great if you could go straight to it to help our Medic Team and examine the unconscious affected we managed to gather there."

"Okay," Sakura nodded, "Leave it to me."

The group found the stair to the upper floors and hurriedly ascended through it. At the end of the stair, they arrived on a hallway on the third floor—just like the first floor, the hallway was filled with numerous desperate looking people, seemingly ready to just break down any seconds from now. Just like what happened on the first floor, though, when they spotted Temari and the Leaf Ninjas in front of their eyes, they couldn't help but to turn their heads onto them, their looks filled with hope.

"Haruno-san, the Medical Examination Room is over there—you'll find it easily since the door leading there is clearly marked," Temari pointed to the western side of the hallway, "The Hospital Meeting Hall is at the other side, though, and that's where Gaara and Kankurou stay at this moment, along with members of Konoha Council."

"What about the Kazekage's office?" Sai commented.

"It's still safe, but this is a matter that involves the well-being of many citizens of Sand," Temari said gloomily, "Although it would be perfectly alright for Gaara to stay in his office, he couldn't do it because it would mean he's not willing to be with his people when they need him the most. That's why temporarily his office was relocated here."

"I see," Sai nodded understandingly.

"Alright, I'll go straight to the Medical Examination Room then," Sakura said. She looked at Naruto, who still had the young girl from before safe within his arms, "Naruto, I think it would be best if I bring the little lady with me, to see if there's anything wrong with her. Besides, it wouldn't be appropriate to bring him with you to meet Gaara-kun since you two surely need to talk about important things."

"Oh, that's right," Naruto answered.

He got down on his kneels and let the girl go. He smiled at her as he nodded to Sakura's direction.

"You go with her now, okay?" he said softly, "She'll take good care of you, don't worry. Just be nice, and I'm sure we'll find your parents soon, alright?"

The young girl gazed at him again for a few moments, before nodding. She didn't look away from Naruto or say anything when Sakura softly grabbed her right hand.

"Come on," Naruto clapped his hands, "Let's go."

Temari and Sai nodded, and the three of them quickly dashed towards the eastern side of the hallway, with many curious eyes of Sand's citizens following their movements.

The little girl's eyes were fixed onto Naruto, all the way until he was gone from view. Even then, she's still staring somewhat longingly towards the direction Naruto went off.

"Don't worry," Sakura smiled reassuringly, "He'll figure things out."

Sakura kneeled in front of the young girl and put her palm on top of her head.

"Your head is bleeding," she said worriedly as she gazed to the young girl's head, "Hold still—I'll fix it up a little before we check it up more thoroughly later, okay?"

Sakura then started channeling her healing chakra to the young girl's head, but to her immediate surprise she saw that the blood on top of the girl's head did not vaporize like they usually did when she healed someone else. Before she could comprehend what truly happened, the young girl unexpectedly brushed off her palm from on top her head and said,

"…I am not injured, Nee-san," she said abruptly, "…There's nothing going wrong with my head."

Sakura blinked.

"But the blood…" she muttered, "If it's not yours, then…"

Then a realization suddenly dawned upon her. Reflexively for some reason she turned her head towards the direction of Temari and the others went before, her face fraught with worry.

…

"…Nee-san?" the young girl said tentatively as she yanked Sakura's shirt.

"Oh…" Sakura was snapped out from her reverie. She turned her attention back to the young girl, "…Right, sorry. Well…… it's nice that there's nothing going on with you… Regardless, before someone comes for you, I think it'd be best if you stay with me, just for the safe side. Are you okay with it?"

"…Nii-san told me to stay with you," the young girl replied quietly, "So I'll stay with you."

"Good girl," Sakura smiled, "What's your name?"

"…Eri…" the young girl answered softly.

"Okay, Eri-chan… hold still for a while…" Sakura picked up something from inside one of the pockets of Jounin's vest she wore, which turned out to be a small transparent plastic bag with her name written on it. She carefully swayed Eri's hair with her right hand, with the intention of transferring some of the blood on her head to her fingers.

She then put the plastic bag under her right hand, and pinched her right hand fingers so that some of the blood that stained it fell down towards the inside of the plastic bag. When she was satisfied, she carefully sealed the plastic bag with a small chakra manipulation, and then she tucked it back in inside its original place.

Sakura then stood up and grabbed Eri's arm gently, ignoring the young girl's questioning look. She flashed one last look to the other side of the eastern hallway, before finally turned her back west, and walked there with the young girl on tow, her expression unfathomable.

* * *

-**Hospital Meeting Hall**

Temari didn't bother to deal with courteousness as she basically opened the door leading to the Meeting Hall with a bang.

"Gaara!" she yelled, "They're here!"

Naruto and Sai immediately entered right after her—they both looked kind of surprised looking at Temari's brash behavior, though they didn't say anything about it.

Naruto's eyes quickly swept through the room.

It's a rather large room, with a long round table at the center surrounded by lots of comfortable looking chairs. There was a bunch of old men and women sat on their chairs, all looked kind of surprised and disturbed not only because of Temari's rather impolite entrance, but also seemingly because of the sudden presence of two Konoha Ninjas inside the room as well.

Naruto didn't really pay any attention to any of those old people, though. His eyes were quickly transfixed onto a figure of a charismatic young man, currently sitting calmly at the far end of the long table. He has a very nice looking long hair laid all the way down until his shoulders; his eyes stared forward relentlessly like they could penetrate even the thickest of steels. There's a very distinct looking tattoo above his left eye, a tattoo of the word "Love"—it was easily one of the most striking feature of the young man's appearance.

That he was a special young man could be felt directly as soon as anyone put their eyes on him. Although he was the youngest person inside the Meeting Hall, for some reason his mere presence exuded the same weight as the rest of people there—if not even more. Perhaps it's the way he sat. Perhaps it's the way he set his eyes forward. Perhaps it's the way his face showed that atmospheric calmness. Perhaps it's how he managed to expose a calm and composed expression on his face regardless to the fact that the place he led was in a very serious trouble…

Nevertheless, he was undoubtedly a charismatic young man—very much so, in fact, it seemed that his charisma filled the entire room effortlessly without him even trying. He was Gaara, the Kazekage of the Sand, leader of the Sand, a person once despised as a monster by his own people but now revered as one of the most beloved Kazekage ever existed. That he was able to achieve such change was a proof of not only his capabilities as a leader, but also the strength of his character and personality as well.

…

And now, that charismatic young man immediately stood up from his seat, made a beeline towards Naruto without even bothering to look on the disapproving faces of the Council Members, and shook Naruto's hands in such a strong way it was crystal clear what kind of strong feeling of fondness the Kazekage has for the blonde Leaf Jounin.

"It's been quite a while, Naruto," Gaara said warmly.

"Yeah," Naruto couldn't help but to smile as he shook back—truthfully though, he was a bit taken aback by not only Gaara's new look (_since when did he grow his hair like that_?), but also by his overall act of friendliness. Not that he mind about it, however—it's always nice to be treated kindly by people.

"Come and have a seat," Gaara gave an appreciative nod to Sai before he pointed out exactly two empty chairs located to the left of where he sat before, "We're all currently talking about this sudden mysterious illness that affected people of the Sand… perhaps you two will be able to share some insights about it as well, although you just arrived…"

Gaara led Naruto and Sai to the empty chairs. As they sat there, he also returned to sit at his original chair. Temari herself chose not to sit anywhere although there were still some chairs left available—instead, she just scurried over to Gaara's behind and seemed content to just stand there, watching his little brother's back.

Naruto waved his hand a little towards Kankurou, who sat directly in front of him at the other side of the table—he got a friendly smile from him as a return. Then, his eyes swept to the other people inside the room—all old men and women, all apparently, some reason, equally displeased towards both him and Sai. He was a bit uncomfortable by the looks they gave to him, although Sai looked as indifferent as ever.

…

"I've never thought that you'd be able to return _this_ quickly with Konoha's aid, Temari," one of the Council Members opened the conversation—his tone didn't sound friendly…, in fact, it sounded downright suspicious, "You just went out some time ago, how's it possible for you to return here that quickly? Of course, if the Leaf Ninjas already prowling around our territory without permission, then it's a different matter altogether…"

"Their presence here is not without permission," Gaara calmly responded before Temari had a chance to speak, "I invited them here, although initially for a different reason other than our current predicament. I invited them here to help us prepare ourselves for the coming of Raikage from Hidden Cloud, which will arrive tomorrow if everything is according to expectations."

"_What_?" an elderly woman who was clearly also a member of the Council said in surprise, "We never heard a _thing_ about Sand asking for aid from Leaf to help us in the matter of Raikage's arrival!"

"I sent the letter formally to Hokage of the Leaf a few days ago, requesting for his aid," Gaara answered evenly, "That's why they're able to arrive here so quick. They're here not to respond to what happened to us today—they're here as a response for my letter sent to their leader. I don't think even the Hokage knows about what's going on to us now. I apologize I did that without consulting to any of you first."

"You're asking for Leaf's aid without consulting to us first?" said another Council Member incredulously, "Even if you are indeed the Kazekage of the Sand, an action as important as requesting aid from other country to deal with our internal problems is not something you should do without consulting to us first."

Gaara sighed quietly.

However, the one that spoke next was not him, but instead it was Kankurou.

"Honorable members of Sand Council," he spoke out, "It is not Gaara's intention to hide anything from you. It's just he felt it was really unnecessary to trouble you with the matter of requesting aid from the Leaf since, after all, Leaf is not our enemy, nor they are in a neutral relationship with us. They are our closest allies—our _best_ _friend_, you might even call it. Besides, Gaara specifically asked Leaf to send Uzumaki Naruto here to our aid… surely you've heard about him?"

All heads were now turning towards Naruto, who suddenly felt like he sat in a very hot chair with all those eyes staring at him.

"He's one of the most prominent figures of the Legendary War that we too, participated a few years ago, against the massive threat in the form of an organization named Akatsuki," Gaara said calmly, "He also has saved my life—in more ways that any of you could have imagined. Although he is a Leaf Ninja, it is without doubt when I say that he is one of few people in this world I'd be more than willing to trust my life onto."

Naruto couldn't hide his blush hearing Gaara's straight-forward comment about him. Embarrassed as he may be, he couldn't deny the feeling of happiness surging inside him so strongly.

…

"Aaah yes," one of the Council Members muttered, "He's the last known student of the now-deceased Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, correct?"

Hearing the name Jiraiya mentioned, Naruto's expression suddenly changed.

"If I'm not mistaken, he's also the last surviving Jinchuuriki in the world, yes?" said the same Council Member as he fixed his eyes towards Naruto, observing him intently, "The ones that house the Bijuus within themselves in order to gain unimaginable power, right?"

Obviously, that wasn't the correct thing to say, since the look on Naruto's face clearly suggested that he was deeply displeased with what the Council Member just said. Gaara didn't look too happy too—in fact, he seemed ready to say something unpleasant to that particular member, before Kankurou unexpectedly cut him off,

"You should know better to _not _saying that kind of thing, _Sir_," he said sharply, his eyes sent daggers towards the Council Member, "…Especially _not_ in front of our Kazekage here."

The one getting looked at shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't say anything anymore after that.

"Regardless," said a female Council Member that sat in front of Sai, "Is it wise for us to ask for their aid since this is our own internal problems? I am not saying that these men cannot be trusted, but what will we say to our citizens when they see that instead of relying to our own strength, we are depending on other country's Ninjas to solve our problems?"

"Seeing the looks on their faces in the hallways outside, Maam, I don't think they'd mind," this time Temari spoke out—she looked visibly annoyed, "I don't even think they'd give a _damn_. This is a critical situation for all of us, where _our_ own people tried to kill each other in _our_ own streets without any reason whatsoever! Do you really think it'll really matter for them right now who are the ones that will save them?"

"Watch your tone when you speak to us, child," the Council Member she spoke to showed displeasure to Temari's outburst.

Temari just turned her eyes elsewhere with her face still looking annoyed.

"We have no choice," Gaara intruded into the conversation, "Because of the orders you imposed upon me to station many of our finest Ninjas on our border, in fear of the implications of recent intrusion to our territory, truthfully we lack the manpower required to handle not only Raikage's visit, but also this unexpected turn of event as well. In a way, we're lucky that this thing is happening to us while the Leaf Ninjas are here."

The Council Members started to look at each other, like they were having unspoken conversations through the means of the expression of their faces and the look of their eyes.

…

For a few minutes, none of the inhabitants of the room spoke a word, each busy with their own thoughts.

The one that broke the silence in the end was, unexpectedly, Sai.

"Forgive me if I speak inappropriately," he said, "But if I am allowed to make a suggestion, I suggest we deploy the available Ninjas to save normal Sand citizens that are possibly still out there somewhere. Naruto here…" he nodded to Naruto, "On the way here he managed to save a young girl from the horrible fate of getting killed by Sand Ninjas, those who were supposed to protect her in the first place. There're should be many people like her out there waiting for our rescue."

Gaara looked down. He interlocked his fingers, his face appeared deeply troubled.

"…That's actually the first thing we do ever since this… thing, happened to our Village," he said heavily, "But as you already saw on your way here, even our Ninjas couldn't escape getting infected... In fact, many of the Ninjas that we sent out to help people didn't return… We could only surmise that they too, had fallen to this…… _cursed_ illness. Now, most of the manpower we have refused to even let themselves out from this Hospital—not because they're afraid of dying, but more because they're afraid that if they get infected, then they may in the end kill one of their own countrymen. I……" Gaara clenched his fists—it was the first time since Naruto entered the room that he showed a distraught look on his face, "…couldn't force my men to go out there under that situation, even though I am fully aware that there are possibly still sane people out there need saving."

"Hm…" Sai nodded understandingly, "…So before the cause of this entire catastrophe can be exposed and neutralized, your hands are basically tied."

"Yes," Gaara nodded slowly, "We can't do anything except to hope that our Medical Ninjas could figure things out before everything is too late."

Suddenly, one of the Council Members gave out a very audible sigh, making all the people inside the hall turned their attention to him.

"I _don't_ want to admit it," he said with a regretful look on his face, "But regrettably, I must concede to the fact that in terms of development of Medical Ninjutsus, Leaf has progressed at a much faster rate compared to us. Now, it's not that I'm not appreciating you two being here, Leaf Ninjas…"

He stared at Naruto and Sai as he coughed sarcastically.

"…But it _is_ rather unfortunate that Leaf didn't send a Medical Ninja instead," he said, "Battle Ninjas wouldn't help our situation right now as much. Perhaps you two should hurry back to the Hokage and ask him to send us a capable one to help us with this urgent problem we have in our plate."

"If it's Medical Ninja you want," suddenly Naruto said with a deep voice and a penetrating gaze—he spoke out with such intensity many people inside the room seemed kind of taken aback by it, "Don't worry, we bring _the_ best Medical Ninja _in the world_ with us. I am positive that she will be more than capable of overcoming whatever expectations you can throw at her."

"……Really?" said the female Council Member that sat in front of Sai with one of her eyebrows raised, "And who might that Medic Ninja be?"

"Haruno Sakura," Naruto said confidently—without pause, without hesitation.

…

The Council Members immediately gazed at each other again.

"…You mean, _the_ Haruno Sakura?" one of them asked.

"Yes," Naruto answered once again.

"The one said to be the last apprentice of the Legendary Medical Ninja of the Sannin, Tsunade-hime?" other member shot a question.

"Yes," Naruto nodded resolutely.

"……"

The Council Members seemed surprised by this revelation from Naruto.

"…Hmm…" one of the Council Members muttered, "I've heard about the name, of course. The last student of Tsunade-hime, the person that gave us so much trouble during the Great War so many years ago because of her unsurpassed Medical knowledge in the battlefield."

He leaned his head forward, the expression on his face looked kind of optimistic.

"If it was Tsunade-hime, I am quite sure she'd be more than capable of figuring things out or us," he uttered, "But are you sure that her student will be as able as her teacher in order to help us out?"

Once again, it was Naruto who spoke out.

"Yes," he said firmly, "_Sakura_ is the best Medical Ninja in the world. I am more than willing to bet my life on it—if she can't help us, then _no_ _one_ can."

* * *

-**Sand Hospital Medical Examination Room**

Eri stood silently.

Her eyes were fixated on what happened on the room behind the thick glass window in front of her. A woman that appeared to be a Nurse stood behind her, holding her shoulders—just like Eri, her eyes were fixated on what could be seen in front of her too.

Inside the room in front of them, Sakura was there together with four Sand's Medical Ninjas—they all also stood silently as they intently gazed at Sakura, who apparently in the middle of some sort of an examination using her Medical Jutsus.

She moved both of her palms slowly and carefully on top the body of an unconscious Sand Ninja that was bind with seemingly innumerable straps and chains. Sakura seemed focused. Sometimes, she closed her eyes, as if she was trying to see something with her feelings instead with her sight.

She moved her palms from the Ninja's bottom toes all the way to the top of his head, not missing a single part of his body. No one besides her inside the examination room bothered to speak—or even making the smallest amount of noise—because they didn't want to disturb her amazing amount of concentration.

She repeated moving her palms carefully and meticulously through the unconscious Sand Ninja a couple of times, a process that took around fifteen minutes to complete.

Then, she opened her eyes, and took a long, good breath as if she just went through a very strenuous ordeal. The look on her face, however, seemed somewhat satisfied—apparently, whatever she did just before to the Sand Ninja, she considered it to be quite successful.

…

Seeing the look on Sakura's face, one of the Sand's Medical Ninjas could no longer hold his curiosity.

"So…" he said, "You found anything out of the ordinary, Haruno-san?"

"…Um," Sakura said slowly as she wiped out a trail of sweat glided on the surface of her face, "…Although, I am not really sure about what is, exactly, that I found."

"Really?" he looked surprised, "You did?"

"We have gone through their bodies so many times," said the second female Medical Ninja—she looked somewhat pessimistic, "We have examined them very carefully using all the methods we could think of, and yet we couldn't find anything wrong with them."

"Yeah," added one of her comrades—his face looked especially tired compared to the other three, "Even though we have channeled our Chakra through his entire body to scan for something that might give us a clue to what happened to Sand today, we still couldn't find anything… I'm almost running out of Chakra, too…"

"……Hmm…" Sakura noted contemplatively, "…although it is admittedly very, very difficult to pinpoint, there's an abnormality within this Ninja's body that may very well be, the reason behind why he became one of the affected,"

"An abnormality?" said the last of the four, "If there is really such a thing inside his body all along, then why couldn't we detect it earlier?"

"I don't know how to say it in any other way," Sakura opened her gloves and tucked it inside one of the pockets of her Jounin vest, "…But let's just say it is a very impressive abnormality, indeed."

The Medical Ninjas looked at each other, all apparently equally confused.

"…_Something_ is there," Sakura said thoughtfully as she gazed intently at the unconscious Sand Ninja, "…not only it moves around inside his body quite erratically, it also emits a similar Chakra signature to the body it inhabited, making it especially difficult to detect."

"…What?" said one of the Medical Ninjas, "A similar Chakra signature?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded.

"What you mean to say, Haruno-san…" he said again, "Is that whatever the _thing_ inside him is camouflaging itself by producing a similar Chakra to the body host?"

"And that's why we weren't able to detect it?" said one of his comrades, a look of disbelief so obvious on her face.

"…Pretty much," Sakura nodded slowly, "I am guessing that this… _thing_, whatever it is, immediately produces a similar Chakra to its host as soon as it detects a foreign Chakra coming from outside intruded into the host. That's why, most probably you four actually already detected its presence when you scanned this body thoroughly earlier. It's just that, since it emitted similar Chakra signature to the body, you all mistook it as just one of this Ninja's internal organs or Chakra lines. Even if you did feel like you found something, because of its erratic movements inside the host, most probably you would feel much more inclined to believe that you just made a mistake since the one you detected before suddenly has gone—although it wasn't really gone—it only moved to somewhere else inside the body."

"…B…but, if that was the case…" said one of the Medical Ninjas, "…T…then how did _you_ able to detect it, Haruno-san?"

"…Although it's true that it emits similar Chakra signature to its body host makes it especially difficult to detect," Sakura said calmly as she began to lean over to the unconscious Sand Ninja again, both her palms readied, "…Seeing that the ones getting affected acted in ways they normally wouldn't, I figured this… _thing_ inside them surely must, in a way, manipulated their host so that their host would do things _it_ wanted them to do. There are basically only two ways for someone to manipulate the acts of another human being—one is to forcefully alter the Chakra flow within the body of someone you want to manipulate, similar to the mechanics of a Genjutsu. The other way, is to send specific, hard-to-detect electrical signals to the brain, giving it an additional stimuli to force the brain to give commands to the body it resided in."

"…But in order to forcefully alter the Chakra flow within someone," one of the Medical Ninjas mused, "…You basically need to apply an equal or stronger amount of Chakra in order to do the manipulation…"

"Ah!" said the other Medical Ninja, "…The _thing_ inside his body couldn't possibly do that! Because if it tries to alter the flow of Chakra of the body host, it will need to apply Chakra that is different from the body host, and if it does that it will basically reveal its location to us!"

"Precisely," Sakura nodded, "So the only method left for that _thing_ if it wants to control the behavior of its host while keeping the danger of exposing its existence as minimal as possible is to send electrical impulses to the brain, commanding it to do its bidding. That's why I am focusing my efforts not to detect the location of that _thing_ itself, but rather I tried to search for any signs of irregular electrical impulses streaming inside his body."

"You are able to _do_ that?" one of the Medical Ninjas said in disbelief.

Sakura nodded once again.

"I am able to detect, albeit very faint, irregular electrical impulses to this person's brain that came from what seemingly foreign object inside his own body," she explained, "When I traced that impulses back to its source—there you go… I've found the illegal intruder. It's moving around, but the irregular impulses always came from the same object—undoubtedly, this object is the culprit."

"…_but in order to be able to detect electrical impulses to the brain like that_, _you have to be extremely meticulous and careful_, _right_? _Since even in an unconscious state, the brain always constantly sending and receiving impulses based on the stimuli it perceived to make the entire body working_… _it is almost impossible to correctly analyze whether the impulses you feel are normal or not_…" one of the Medical Ninjas muttered inside her mind, "_To be able to differentiate and recognize irregular electrical impulses amidst hundreds_, _or even thousands other impulses the brain normally sent and received_……… _and to be able to trace them back to its source_…"

She gazed at Sakura.

She looked deeply impressed.

"…How do we kill that thing, then, Haruno-san?" one Medical Ninja asked, "I am not too sure, but I think it is going to be way too risky for us trying to kill it while it's still inside the body host—if what you said is true, about this thing always moving around inside the body in an erratic way, then how can we…"

He scratched his hair.

"…Uh…" he said, "Metaphorically speaking, throw our weapons at it accurately? One mistake and our weapons will most likely hit its internal organs instead of that thing inside him."

"If we can't kill it while it's still inside," Sakura said—once again, she closed her eyes and let her feelings dictated her movement, "Then we force it to go outside. _Then_ we kill it. We need to analyze that thing anyway in order to find a cure that can kill other things like it, even when they're still inside the bodies of those who got affected by them."

"Then… how do we force it to go outside?" he asked again.

Sakura was seemingly thinking about something.

…

She then suddenly put her right palm on top of the unconscious Ninja's forehead and the other—her left one—on top of his torso.

She then started channeling her chakra.

…Every once in a while, she moved her left hand slowly around, as if it was following something as it moved here and there. Although Sakura closed her eyes, one could definitely see the massive amount of focus and concentration inside her—sweat could be seen rolling down on her face, her breathing accelerated slightly.

"…What is she doing?" one of the Medical Ninjas whispered to one of his friends.

"……" the one getting asked didn't answer—she looked just as confused as the one giving the question.

However, one of them suddenly spoke out,

"…This is just a guess," he muttered quietly, "But I think Haruno-san is trying to channel her own Chakra forcibly through her left hand in order to force the foreign object inside the body to get out. Basically, she's _pushing _that thing inside his body with her Chakra. Most probably she's trying to push it up to his mouth, so that we can grab it."

"I think so too," the other spoke out, "She put her right hand on top of his forehead to detect those irregular electrical impulses to the brain she mentioned before, so that she can always constantly trace them back to its source. That way, she won't have to worry about losing track of it, just in case she screws up the pushing process and the thing escapes…"

"But…" the one that whispered before said in disbelief, "In order to be able to 'push' that thing around, she needs to be extremely careful not to put the wrong amount of Chakra pressure when she moves her left hand around, right? Each internal organ has different toleration level when it comes to Chakra pressure, right? You can't apply the same Chakra pressure to somebody's chest like you can to his stomach—otherwise, it'll break apart, _right_?"

"…I guess that means she is able to manipulate the extent of the Chakra pressure from her left hand very accurately," his friend answered—she looked very astonished, "…While at the same time constantly detecting irregular electrical impulses to the brain and tracing them back to its source with her right hand……"

"…What kind of Chakra control a person should have before he or she is able to do that kind of thing…" one of the Medical Ninjas said breathlessly, "…This is unreal… Her Chakra control must be _perfect_……"

"Yeah," said the other as he gazed unblinkingly to Sakura, "…Unbelievable…"

…

They all continued to watch Sakura as she moved her left hand around the unconscious Ninja's body, like she was guiding something inside.

The Medical Ninjas started to get anxious when her left hand moved closer to the upper parts of the Ninja's body. Then, tension arose as it moved closer and closer to Ninja's lower part of the neck, and then towards his throat, and then…

…Sakura suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"GET READY!" she suddenly yelled.

She slid her left palm through the unconscious Ninja's throat. What happened next was something so unbelievable that it managed to catch the rest of the Medical Ninjas off-guard although they have been expecting it.

Some… _thing_ suddenly jumped from inside the unconscious Ninja's mouth—something that appeared to be a medium-sized blackish worm that wriggled and writhed like crazy. The worm was covered with icky-looking slimes, and as it fell to the floor right next to the examination table, it created a very nasty sounding squishy sound. Even with its small size, the strange and disgusting odor it exuded from its body was so strong it filled the entire Medical Examination Room instantly.

The worm was pretty much still alive as it tried desperately to jettison itself away from Sakura and the rest of the crew. It jumped erratically on the floor, trying to run away, making a horrible squishy sound every time it jumped and landed.

It almost reached the most northern part of the room, before…

-ZREB!- -ZREB!- -ZREB!- -ZREB!-

Not one, not two, not three, but _four _Kunais suddenly came from behind and pierced the writhing worm ruthlessly and mercilessly. Understandably, after getting impaled with four Kunais at the same time, the worm ceased to move.

The source of those Kunais was obvious: four Sand Medical Ninjas that were inside the room together with Sakura. They all looked mightily satisfied when they saw the Kunais they threw managed to kill the creature brutally.

Despite the look on her face that suggested Sakura was tired, she too looked satisfied.

She approached the dead worm.

She shoved three Kunais that stabbed the worm out of the way, and used the last Kunai to pick the dead creature up without actually touching it. She winced a little, though—not because she couldn't handle the sight of a dead disgusting creature, it's just that the smell that the dead creature emitted was very strong.

…

"What is that, Haruno-san?" said one of the Medical Ninja.

"It's a worm?" said the other.

"Not just an ordinary worm, surely," Sakura replied, "I think that even if you search every corners of the world, you wouldn't be able to find a worm that not only could emit Chakra, it could also send out electrical impulses to the brain, consciously manipulating its human host to do its bidding. Not to mention the fact that it could move amazingly fast throughout its host's insides……"

"So _that_'_s _the cause behind many people in this Village tried to kill each other?" one of the Medical Ninja shot a question, "…Are you saying that there are also worms like that inside every person that is affected by this strange illness?"

"Most probably, yes," Sakura nodded as she put down the dead worm on top an examination table, "But now since we have a specimen, I can dissect it to analyze the anatomy and structure of this worm. With any luck, I can also probably concoct a drug that can, theoretically, recognize the presence of another like this inside the body of others by identifying its characteristics and then kill it, even though it's still inside the body."

"You can do that?" asked one of the Medical Ninjas.

"Like I said…_probably_," Sakura nodded casually.

"…But," said another Medical Ninjas, "Since it is pretty impossible for a worm that size to enter a person's body without that person realizing it, I am guessing that the worm must have entered the body in form of parasitic eggs, yes? Never mind the fact that it was very amazing for a creature to mature from eggs to a size like that in the span of only a few hours… but, how do those affected, get affected in the first place?"

Sakura didn't say anything, because truthfully, she too didn't have a concrete answer for that question.

"If we couldn't find how they all got infected," he continued, "Then people would just get infected more and more, regardless whether you could make the cure to counter it, Haruno-san."

The room quickly fell into silence as all the people inside it dived into their own thoughts. They all equally looked stupefied as to how to find the answer to the question that hovered over their heads. Even Sakura didn't appear to have any ideas whatsoever this time.

…

Then, one of the Medical Ninjas suddenly sat on the floor—his face looked terribly tired.

"Damn it," he muttered, "When I woke up this morning, I never would have thought that all of this could happen. What a drag…"

He sighed.

"Gah, I'm thirsty," he wiped out the sweat off his face.

Sakura suddenly turned her eyes towards him.

* * *

**-Sand Hospital—Hallway to Medical Examination Room**

"It's already around four hours," Temari tapped her feet impatiently, "It's almost dawn… I wonder if Haruno-san already found the cause of all of this…"

She, Sai, and Naruto were standing in front of the door that led to Medical Examination Room. Gaara was forced to stay inside the Hospital Meeting Hall in order to keep watch over the Council Members, and Kankurou also stayed there to provide assistance for his younger brother.

Temari leaned her back at the left side of the wall, while Sai and Naruto leaned themselves against the right side of the wall. She looked impatient, while Naruto looked calm—although he too, sometimes cast his eyes towards the Medical Examination Room worryingly. As for Sai, he closed his eyes—he seemed in the middle of thinking about something, even though he didn't show any indication of wanting to share his thoughts to the rest of the group.

…

"…Damn it," Temari said under her breath, "…I know I shouldn't say this, since I am sure she tried the best she could to help us, but… I wish she could finish her job sooner…… More people of the Sand are at risk the more we delay finishing this matter……"

Naruto looked up to her.

He understood her misgivings about the current situation, of course. Practically _everything_ right now depended on whether his pink-haired Kunoichi comrade could solve this entire problem or not. Aside from the fact that her own countrymen were out there fighting one another without any known cause, she too must have felt powerless because in the end, the problem that plagued her Village so devastatingly could only be solved not by her or by anyone from her Village.

Naruto could understand.

How the feeling of powerlessness could very easily defeat all of your energy, your will, your resolve, your determination……

…

-BRUGH!-

Suddenly, the door to the Medical Examination Room was opened from inside. It was so surprising that both Temari and Naruto almost jumped up at the same time.

From behind the door, Sakura emerged. Behind her, various loud noises and yells could be heard—apparently, she left behind a particularly busy room. She walked a few steps forward, and then with the back of her hands, she closed the door again.

She looked satisfied, but also at the same time also looking exceptionally tired. In her left hand she held a small plastic bag with three small-sized reddish pills safely stored inside it.

When she moved forward, her legs shook a bit.

She stumbled, and then she fell forward.

…

-Grab-

Thankfully, Naruto was there for her. He quickly jumped in front of her to catch her, and let his body served as the cushion for her fall. He took a firm hold on her arms, and allowed Sakura to release all of her fatigue, tiredness, and burden as she buried her head into his chest.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said softly, "You look very tired."

Sakura didn't say anything for a few while. All Naruto got as an answer was her long breathing on his chest.

Then, she pulled her head out from Naruto's chest and let go.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled to him, "Thanks, Naruto."

Temari didn't waste any time to approach Sakura and shot a question at her.

"So, Haruno-san!" she said urgently, "How'd it go?"

Sakura gave a wide grin to her, and showed her the bag with reddish pills she held.

"Don't worry," she said, "I have made the drug that could kill the cause of all of this problems. All you have to do is to shove one of these pills down the throat of those affected—they should return to normal immediately."

"But…!" Temari said again, "There are only three of them!"

Sakura tilted her head to the direction of the Medical Examination Room.

"I have left the instructions on how to make them to your Medical Ninjas there," she said, "…I must say, I am honestly impressed with how fast they're able to understand and follow my directions…… I even have my own doubts that most of Medical Ninjas in the Leaf could do that…"

"So they are mass producing those pills right now?" Sai asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Come this midnight, they should be able to produce enough pills for all affected Sand people out there. Making the first pill is exceptionally difficult and tiresome, since I have to be extremely careful with everything…" Sakura explained slowly, "…But once you have the blueprint, making new pills should be much, much easier. I am sure your men can handle it, Temari-san."

Temari let out a sigh of heavy relief.

"…Then!" she said, "I will give an order to all of the available personnel! As soon as the pills are prepared, we will immediately spread towards every corner of the Sand to save our citizens!"

Temari already prepared to dash away, before stopped by Sakura.

"Wait," Sakura muttered, "…Before you do that, there's something I need you to know."

Temari looked at her questioningly.

"These three pills I have with me," Sakura tapped the plastic bag she held with her left hand, "…They're not for the consumption of any of the affected out there. Their purpose is to be tossed inside one of your Water Supplies."

"…Water Supply…?" Naruto said.

Sakura nodded.

"According to your men inside, Temari-san," she said, "Sand has two facilities where the entire water supply for the Sand was processed before they're distributed to the entire populace. One is in the northern part of the Village, and one at the southern part of the village. Am I correct?"

"That's correct," Temari answered, "The northern facility handles the entire upper part of the Village, while the southern facility handles the entire lower part of the Village. We have two in case one of them needs to be repaired or something—water is a very precious thing for us Desert people…"

"One of your Medical Ninjas inside there lived at the lower part of the Village," Sakura said, "Luckily, he carried with him a bottle of freshwater for drinking that was filled with water from his own house. I got suspicious that perhaps the source of this entire problem may have something to do with your water supply, so I examined his water."

Sakura looked serious.

"The results were positive," she said firmly, "His water contains large number of very small eggs. Those eggs are so small they are virtually impossible to detect with naked eyes… or to feel as they enter a person's body through the means of the water that person used to drink or to bathe. Once the eggs enter a person's body, my guess is it only takes about two to three hours for them to hatch and mature into parasitic living organisms in the form of medium-sized worms. Those creatures are the cause behind why your people attacking each other, Temari-san."

Temari, Naruto, and Sai all looked very surprised by this new information Sakura provided to them.

"…Luckily, though, whoever fouled your water apparently didn't have the information that your Village uses _two_ water supply facilities instead of one," Sakura continued her explanation, "The northern facility does not seem to be infected. This hospital is located at the northern part of the Village, right? I already checked the water here—it's clean. Of course, as to your men with the water, he was lucky that he hadn't yet use water from his house for anything yet—said to me he took a bath here in Hospital because he couldn't do it in his house because of some faulty equipment."

"Oh……woah…" Temari looked positively stupefied by Sakura's revelation, "I can't believe it…… I can't believe that someone would actually infect our water… The facilities we use to process our water supply are two of the most well guarded buildings in Sand… Although we _did_ have to reduce our guards from those facilities since some of the men there were directed to guard our borders instead, as per order from the Council Members…"

"Perhaps that's exactly the whole reason all along," Sai commented, "The unidentified intrusion to your country's borders. Perhaps the intention behind the intrusion was so that you'd be compelled to send significant additional forces to guard your borders. Because of that, however, you were forced to reduce the amount of manpower available to guard all of your resources here in the Village, making the job ultimately that much easier for whoever fouled your water supply. Also, all of those things were probably designed to serve as some sort of preparations for their '_true_' plan tomorrow, for the arrival of the Raikage."

"True plan?" Naruto repeated.

"This is nothing more than just my conjecture," Sai shrugged off his shoulders, "It may be true, it may not be true."

Temari didn't say anything for a moment as she considered the probability of truth contained within the scenario Sai just offered to her.

…

"Well, in any case, we still need to go to the southern Water Supply Facility, right? I assume you want to go there personally, correct?" Sai looked at Temari, "Let me come with you, then. Don't forget that whoever's responsible for all of this is still out there. There may even be a chance that our enemy is still lurking inside that very facility, hiding. It will be safer if you go there with more people."

"……Okay," Temari nodded.

"Let me come with you as well!" Naruto looked prepared, "If the one's responsible for all of this mess still there, I will kick his sorry ass ten thousand times!"

"Alright," Temari nodded once again, "Let's go."

She immediately dashed towards the other side of the hallway, followed immediately by Sai.

However, when Naruto was about to leave towards their direction as well, all of a sudden he was stopped…

-Grab-

When Naruto turned around, he found to his surprise that Sakura has taken the right sleeve of his clothes within her right hand. She gazed at him intently, her expression unfathomable.

…

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"

"Um…" Sakura muttered a bit, "…Perhaps this is nothing, but…"

"What?" Naruto said.

"Eri—that's the name of the girl you saved earlier, Naruto," she said, "She's gone missing."

Naruto looked surprised.

"I couldn't possibly bring her together with me inside the room where I examined the unconscious affected Sand Ninjas…" she said, "So I left her outside that room together with a Nurse. However, by the time I finished, she's gone."

"What about the Nurse that was supposed to guard her?" Naruto asked.

"She said she was distracted to something for a moment, and the next thing she knew, the girl suddenly just… gone," Sakura said—her expression seemed distraught, "…Should I look for her, Naruto? Just in case? I feel like this is my responsibility, since you entrusted her to me back then…"

Naruto gave it a thought for a while, before answering,

"Nah, you don't have to. You should just get some rest, Sakura-chan—you look positively bushed," Naruto grabbed her hands with his, "I'll tell Temari-san about this so that she can send someone to look after her. Most likely she's still inside this hospital anyway, since the entrance is guarded and I really doubt those guards would let a young girl to wander out there on the streets all by herself."

He smiled.

"Okay?" he said.

Sakura smiled a little. She nodded.

"Right," Naruto said cheerfully, "Now, since you have done your part of the job, Sakura-chan, now it's my turn. Rest up!"

Naruto turned around, ready to leave the premises when suddenly he realized something.

To his great surprise, Sakura hasn't let go of her grip on his right sleeve yet. It was as if she didn't want to part with him just yet. He looked even more surprised when he looked at the expression on her face—it was like she was staring at him, but at the same time she didn't stare at him. It was like she's in a deep reverie.

"Sakura-chan?" he said hesitantly, "…Is there anything else?"

…

Sakura let go of Naruto's sleeve.

"No, it's nothing," she shook her head slowly, "…Just, be careful, okay, Naruto?"

"Don't worry about me!" Naruto said confidently as he pounded his own chest in a way he probably thought as manly, though Sakura definitely thought of it as amusing instead because she couldn't hold her smile watching him do that, "You just rest, okay Sakura-chan?"

Sakura nodded.

She didn't say anything else as she watched Naruto turned himself away and ran towards the direction where Temari and Sai ran before.

* * *

**-Streets of Sand**

A mysterious figure stood inside a dark hallway, apparently in the middle of a conversation with someone, although no one else was there. Obviously, the decision to stand inside a dark hallway in the middle of a night like this was a sign of the person's intention to be as inconspicuous as possible.

…

"…I apologize, sir," the figure said in a low voice, "……I didn't know that the Sand possesses two facilities to process their Water Supply. Our intelligence is very lacking for failing to notice that kind of thing… Should I have noticed it earlier, the entire Sand population should already fell under the influence of the worms…"

The figure then stopped talking for a couple of seconds.

…

"…Yes, but this is quite an unexpected turn of events, too," the figure suddenly continued talking, "A Konoha Kunoichi by the name of Haruno Sakura was able to figure out not only the origin of the worms, she's also able to make a drug that could act as a repellant to the worms. She could do all that in a span of only a day… her skills are truly exceptional, Sir. Now, it's useless for me trying to contaminate the other Water Supply Facility, since she already created an excellent counter for our worms. Even as we speak right now, the Sand Ninjas already spread themselves to save those affected by the worms using the drugs she created, as well as purifying the Water Supply _I_ contaminated."

The figure stopped talking again for a while.

…

"…Her presence along with her Konoha friends could potentially endanger our plan for tomorrow—that is my truthful assessment for the situation, Sir," the figure suddenly talked again, "But I really think we should just go on. They are indeed a deviation, but it's nothing that we cannot handle, Sir."

…

……

"I understood," the figure said quietly, "I'll remain cautious, Sir."

Then, the figure looked up—the conversation seemed to be over.

…

The figure then walked out from the alleyway. Suddenly, a yell could be heard.

"Hey!"

The figure stopped.

A Sand Ninja suddenly came and approached the figure.

"What are you doing here?" the Ninja asked, "It's dangerous out here! And it's already night!"

The figure didn't say anything—all the answer that the Ninja got for his question was only a pair of eyes looking directly at him.

The Sand Ninja kneeled in front of the figure.

"…Hhhh… the situation is so chaotic out here…" he sighed, "Are you lost?"

The figure nodded slowly.

"Figures…" the Ninja said again, "…Anyway, you shouldn't wander around the streets now, not under our current situation, and most definitely _not_ during this kind of time, okay?"

The figure nodded again.

"Good," the Sand Ninja smiled, "…Actually I am supposed to force-feed the affected citizens and Ninjas with the pills those Medical Ninjas made… but I suppose getting you out of the danger should be my priority first. Come with me, and I'll take you to the Hospital, okay? It's the place where all the good guys gathered."

"…Okay," the figure responded.

"Good girl," the Ninja smiled widely, "What's your name?"

"Eri."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	6. Sixth Episode

**-**First of all, I would like to deeply apologize for the extremely late update. Rest assured that it has never been my intention to abandon this story.

-This is without a doubt the longest chapter I've uploaded for this particular story. Around 22.000 words in total, spanning across 42 pages of Microsoft Word .doc format, with single spacing. I apologize to those who cannot stand to read really long chapters.

-As usual: reviews and/or comments about this story would be deeply appreciated.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

**

* * *

  
**

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

-Sixth Episode-

* * *

"_I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for their religion_.

_I have shuddered at it_.

_I shudder no more_.

_I could be martyred for my religion_.

_Love is my religion_.

_And I could die for that_.

_I could die for you_."—**John Keats**

**

* * *

  
**

-**Sand Hospital**

**"What a delicious thought, isn't it, boy?"**

…

"…_to_…"

…

**"That after all of these years, the time when this body of mine that has been shackled, chained, and caged will finally be freed draws closer, and closer—like an impending fate you cannot possibly avoid."**

…

"_Na_…… _to_…"

…

**"You have shown an admirable job so far, boy, but in the end you are nothing but a mere mortal—a mere human, just like the one that I hated the most who forced me to stay in this condition. Ultimately, no matter how hard you try, you cannot outclass your own weaknesses. Just like a worm who cannot possibly wish to transform into an eagle, there's nothing you can do to change the fact that you are **_**weak **_**and **_**incapable**_**!"**

…

"…_ru_… _to_…"

…

**"Your body can no longer **_**hold**_** this power. Your body can no longer **_**forbid**_** this power. It has grown weak, and I will soon break free from its bondage! Pray, boy, that there is an afterlife after death—for that is the only way you can witness with your own eyes the arrival of the time when I will finally be free to destroy everything and all that you have grown to love so much in this world!"**

…

"_Na_…_ru_…_to_…"

…

**"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

…

"Naruto!"

…

……

Naruto opened his eyes.

…And the very first thing he saw was Sakura's worried face staring at him.

"……Sakura…… chan?" he muttered quietly.

He then slowly looked around. For first few seconds, he didn't recognize the room he's in now. However, his brain quickly administered the required information to him—he was inside one of the resting rooms inside Hospital Sand, recuperating after last night's tiring ordeal of curing for all the Ninjas and citizens that were affected by yesterday's mysterious plague.

…For some reason, his body felt kind of sore. Usually he always rebounded very fast even after having committed the most strenuous of works. No matter how tired he was, there's nothing that a few hours of sleep couldn't cure. This particular trait of his was even well known amongst all the people that knew him.

But now, he's feeling rather tired, although he did remember that he managed to get a few hours of decent sleep. Last night was undoubtedly tough and tiring (after all, trying to force-fed numerous blood-thirsty insane Ninjas while simultaneously not trying to injure them too badly was a very energy-consuming business), but last night was definitely not the toughest of assignments he ever had the chance to took… he always managed to recover fast even from those other much more difficult assignments……

…It was as if…

……As if…

…

Naruto got his back up from the bed. First, he glanced at the empty bed to his left. He remembered that it was the bed where Sai slept last night. Now, Sai was nowhere to be seen and the bed was left behind in a very tidy fashion. He then quickly gave a glance to a small clock hanging on the wall right in front of him—the time was 7 A.M. Finally, he then looked at Sakura, who stood right next to his bed, currently staring at him like he was some sort of a very sick patient or something.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto said casually, "What's up?"

Sakura sighed in relief.

Unexpected by Naruto however, she suddenly shot a serious-looking stare towards him,

"Naruto," she said firmly, "Are you feeling alright?"

"…What do you mean?" Naruto raised one of his eyebrows, looking perplexed.

"Well, it's just that…" Sakura leaned forward as she took a red handkerchief from inside one of her pockets with her right hand. She then stretched her hand to reach Naruto's temple, and gently wiped the sweat there with the handkerchief. She then proceeded to do the same thing with both his left and right cheeks.

It was a gesture that made Naruto's heart somewhat accelerated, since he was not used of any person touching him in such an affectionate way like that, most especially if the person was Sakura. Nevertheless, he did a great job not to let his face to reflect the state of his heart-beat—his expression was composed.

"…When I got here in order to wake you up," Sakura added as she put her handkerchief back to its original location when she finished, "…You're sweating and muttering nonsense in your sleep. It was like you're having a really terrible nightmare of some sort."

She looked at him directly with that worried look again.

"…Are you feeling alright, Naruto?" she said, "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm fine," Naruto replied calmly.

He got down quickly from his bed, and grabbed his Jounin vest that he put on top of a small desk right next to the bed where he slept. As he wore the vest, he glanced to Sakura.

The young pink-haired woman was staring at him, not saying anything but the look on her face clearly stated that she was unconvinced.

Naruto gave her a reassuring smile.

"Look, Sakura-chan," he said softly, "…I'm really fine, okay? If I were sick, I wouldn't possibly agree to do this mission, right? After all, this is a very important mission for both Sand and Leaf. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't give it to me too, if he felt that I am not up to it, regardless whether Gaara was requesting me or not. You shouldn't be worried about things too much."

Sakura didn't say anything for a moment as she cast a penetrating gaze towards Naruto.

The pink-haired Kunoichi then closed her eyes for a second, before she said,

"...If you say so, Naruto," she said quietly, "Anyway, let's get ready. They said the Raikage will arrive around eight or nine. Now it's already seven. We need to coordinate our preparations together with Sand's people. You've slept for a few hours… you're not tired anymore, right?"

Naruto laughed.

"You asked that like you don't know me at all, Sakura-chan!" he said cheerfully, "Where's Sai?"

"He's with Kankurou-san," Sakura replied shortly, "Actually, it was him that asked me to get you. They said Raikage's group has passed Sand's border this morning and they should arrive in about one to two hours. You should go to him, Naruto—he's in the meeting room at the second floor, discussing the overall plan for today. Temari-san and Gaara-kun should be there as well."

"You're not coming with me, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"No," Sakura shook his head, "I need to do something together with Sand's Medical Team first. Although we managed to save them all, many of yesterday's infestation victims were Sand Ninjas too, and they're still in no condition to move around actively—much less fighting or participating on today's guard duty. We need all the men we could get our hands on for today. I'll be working with the Medical Team to restore the conditions of as many people as possible before the Raikage arrives."

"…Hmm yes, I suppose that's very important as well," Naruto stretched his arms and body—although his body still felt kind of sore, the amount of tiredness seemed to have reduced compared to when he just woke up earlier, "Well, I'll be going to the second floor then."

"As soon as I finish," Sakura hastily added before Naruto could zip out of the room, "I'll join you and Sai. We'll do this together, Naruto—you, me, and Sai. We'll all go back to Konoha together with a successfully completed mission on the bag… just like we used to."

Naruto nodded.

He gave her a thumb up and a big grin.

He then turned his body and bolted out of the room, leaving Sakura with a profound expression on her face.

* * *

"So," Sai said, "Sand has agreed to forge an alliance with the Hidden Cloud?"

"The Members of the Council told me that we have no reason to deny this offer, provided the Cloud doesn't carry any 'strings attached' or unreasonable favors in their alliance proposal," Gaara said plainly, "Even though they very rarely ever participated in matters outside their own borders, Hidden Cloud is actually an established and very stable entity in both economic and military terms. Forging an alliance with them will provide both parties with numerous advantages too profitable for anyone to ignore."

"Assuming they wouldn't stab us in our backs later on," Temari commented unabashedly, "Really, this alliance offering from them is too sudden and too good to be true to be considered that it was truly caused because of pure and honest intentions. They should know too that we are not that naïve to just welcome them unconditionally."

"That's why we need to be very careful," Gaara glanced to his older sister, "Not to mention there's the case of an unknown enemy waiting in the shadows too."

"And guys..." Naruto said, "I'm not saying this so that we can be reckless, but… we shouldn't worry too much," he nodded confidently, "Whatever they're throwing at us, if we combine our strengths with each other, I am sure that there's nothing that we can't handle."

…

They—Gaara, Kankurou, Temari, Sai, and Naruto—were now sitting inside a small meeting room on the second floor. There's a medium-sized circular table on the center of the room, and on top of it lied a detailed map of Hidden Sand viewed from above, complete with marks and signs that seemed important. Five of them were sitting on chairs circling the round table.

"The alliance signing will be conducted here," Gaara pointed his finger onto a picture of a large building north of the Hidden Sand on the map, "This is a building designed for events such as this. For security reasons, there'll be no Members of the Councils participating on this event. Instead, they'll all be placed in a confidential location with some of our best men guarding their safety. All matters that need to be done today will be done by me, as Kazekage of the Sand."

"I will work together with Kankurou to coordinate all of our available men to ensure everything goes well," Temari added, "We're in charge in Sand's overall security—basically covering Sand's entire area, patrolling the Village and safeguarding all Sand's citizens during the entire process from any possible dangers. I'll be responsible for the southern part of the village," she pointed her finger at the southern part of the map, "…while Kankurou will be responsible for the north."

"We have also placed numerous Reconnaissance Ninjas in the Village's most strategic positions," this time it was him that pointed his finger down on numerous places on the map, seemingly located in a way that each place could always be easily reached from the others although they all appeared to be strategically hidden, "Each will light a signal flare up to the sky should they ever find anything suspicious or dangerous. Our men were already told to regroup immediately to the location where a signal is lit, for immediate handling of the problem."

"Hmm…" Naruto muttered understandingly.

"…However, our responsibility makes it hard for us to exclusively watch for Gaara's personal safety," Kankurou gazed evenly towards Naruto, "That's why, in addition to some of our finest Ninjas, we need you three to stay at Gaara's sides at all times. I will give each of you a signal flare as well. Gaara will always be our first priority, no matter what, so we will give you Leaf Jounins different colored flares to use. We will always go to you first if we see your flare regardless if there's a signal flare lit someplace else, okay? We need the three of you to become, in a way, Gaara's very own personal bodyguards for the entire duration of the alliance-forging process."

"We intended to do just that from the moment we started our mission," Sai commented, "That way we can not only protect the Kazekage, but we will also be able to announce Konoha's presence here in front of the Raikage, and to state that we would not just sit idly while Cloud ignored us and went straight to the Sand."

Kankurou laughed.

"…I didn't expect Konoha to be so…" he muttered with an amused look on his face, "…Temperamental," he chuckled a bit, "Anyway, we will also be communicating with each other with radio. Here, take this. I'll give one for Haruno Sakura-san later. Of course, Gaara gets one too."

Kankurou gave each Naruto and Sai a piece of radio equipment. Without any difficulty, those two put them on in no time.

…

-Drak-

All of a sudden, a red-haired Kunoichi clad in Sand's Jounin attire opened the door to the room and entered.

"Sir," she said as looked at Gaara, "They're here."

"Very well," Gaara nodded as he folded the map on the table.

"Wait!" Naruto remarked, "What about Sakura-chan?"

"She's waiting in front of the hospital," the Kunoichi said as she stared somewhat… questioningly to Naruto (perhaps due to the fact that he just called his comrade with a –chan suffix), "Thanks to her effort, we have managed to add around twenty more men to guard duties today. She's been extremely helpful."

"Excellent," Gaara nodded appreciatively, "Let's go."

"Alright," Naruto looked determined.

* * *

-**Entrance to the Hidden Sand**

"Can you see them, Sakura-chan? Can you see them?"

"Be quiet, Naruto!" Sakura yanked the energetic blonde Jounin's sleeve to calm him down, "Just be still!"

Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Gaara—along with numerous other elite looking Ninjas wearing different kind of uniforms compared to the usual ones—were standing in front of the entrance gate to the Hidden Sand. There's quite a number of curious looking citizens could be seen in the vicinity, although they couldn't really get to the front seat since they were barred by numerous guards standing firmly like a solid fence.

…

"There they are," Sai said, and his comment spurred everyone's heads turning to see what was there at the other side of the horizon.

First, it was just mere specks on the desert. But, it gradually grew into visible figures as the specks moved closer and closer.

Then, they finally saw it with their own eyes.

There were around fifteen men walking across the desert in a tight formation. Ten people that walked on that group wore Sand's Ninja uniform, so it was obvious that they're a part of Sand's border guards that was tasked to accompany Raikage's entourage.

The other five clearly weren't Sand personnel. For one, they wore a totally different uniform compared to the other ten—one of them who walked in the middle of the group even wore a very distinct robe adorned with many complicated and beautiful motifs… the robe flapped extravagantly as the wind blew towards it, causing quite a dazzling sight for everyone to behold. It was obvious who that person was: the most important person on the entourage—The Raikage of the Hidden Cloud.

The other four with him didn't wear anything too fancy or too striking, although they all did show one particular feature on their overall attire that differentiated them quite distinctively from the rest: each and every one of them wore a very peculiar looking mask on their faces. The masks shaped like an oval that covered their entire faces from the top of their temple to the bottom of their chin, with a very peculiar symbol of a very large eye carved on their surfaces.

…

"Whoa," Naruto said when he saw Raikage's group, "What's with those masks?"

"I've heard about them," Sai said without breaking his eyes off from the approaching people, "If I am not mistaken, those are given only to people privileged enough to join the group called The Shadow Cloud."

"…Shadow Cloud?" Sakura responded—she too, didn't remove her eyes off the approaching group, not even for a second.

"The elite of the elites," Sai answered brusquely, "Only the strongest of Cloud Ninjas are allowed to wear such masks. Tasked with the duty of protecting Raikage's safety from all danger and to perform many other seemingly impossible tasks, it is rumored that each member of the group has the capacity to defeat an entire army all by him or herself."

"I see Leaf's intelligence has done their homework well," Gaara smiled appreciatively, "To be able to garner data about one of Hidden Cloud's most enigmatic group is quite impressive, seeing that the Cloud is one of the hardest territory for any kind of spies or contacts to work in and to send information."

"That's all about we managed to know about them, though," Sai added, "We didn't know anything about the individuals that joined the group, their exact numbers, nor did we know about their true combat capabilities. We didn't know any of their other specifics—even their symbol, which I guess would be the large eye on their masks. They managed to hide their secrets extremely well."

"…Each one of them is capable of defeating an entire army, eh?" Naruto muttered—for some reason, he looked somewhat excited, "…That sounds pretty impressive."

"Most probably an exaggeration," Sakura noted thoughtfully, "Though, they must be very strong indeed, because the Raikage even saw fit to carry only four people with him even though he intended to travel deep into the territory of another country…"

…

The atmosphere amongst the waiting party was somewhat tense as the approaching group moved closer and closer.

By the time each party could see the faces of the other group clearly, there's something that surprised the Jounins of the Leaf greatly, most particularly Sakura. Even Gaara, to some extent, looked somewhat surprised.

Turned out the Raikage wasn't exactly the kind of person they expected.

Because the person in question always looked down all before, they couldn't manage to get a proper look. Turned out, the Raikage was a young woman, probably around twenty five to twenty six years old. A very beautiful young woman too, with a pair of dazzling blue eyes and remarkable flaming red-hair that seemed like shimmering every time the light from the sun managed to graze it. No matter how you looked at her, she didn't seem to be the type of person who could be the leader of a Hidden Village—her face didn't look like the kind of people that have the power to command a thousand Ninjas.

Even Naruto, with Sakura stood right beside him, couldn't help but to be distracted by such sight of raw beauty. For a moment, he couldn't seem to bring himself to believe that a leader from such a mysterious Hidden Village turned out to be such an enchanting young woman like this.

…

When the approaching group was apart by merely few steps away from the welcoming party, one of the escorting Sand Ninjas immediately approached Gaara and bowed down.

"Sir," he reported, "This is the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud."

Gaara just nodded.

He then stepped forward to approach Cloud's group, a gesture that was immediately followed by all behind him, including Naruto, Sakura, and Sai.

"Kazekage-dono," it was the red-haired young woman who first took initiative of extending her right hand to Gaara. She showed a friendly expression on her face and smiled.

"Raikage-sama," Gaara said politely. He also extended his right hand to shake hers in a friendly way, "Welcome to the Sand."

"It's a nice change of atmosphere," the Raikage smiled, "Usually my place is so cold and damp. This place of yours, on the other hand, Kazekage-dono, is very… sunny and bright."

She glanced to the people behind Gaara. At the sight of Naruto, Sakura, and Sai, she gave a particularly meaningful look on her face. She stared at the Ninja Bands those three wore.

"Ah," she said thoughtfully after a few moments of pause, "It is to be expected, I suppose, considering who Sand's closest ally is. Which one of you is the team's leader?"

This question apparently took the Leaf Jounins off-guard for a second, since they really haven't determined the 'leader' for their team. However, Sai was quick on his thinking and immediately responded before Naruto or Sakura.

"It is her," Sai gestured towards Sakura, a move that surprised her but she managed to quickly compensate for it with her calm expression, "This is Haruno Sakura, the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage, one of Konoha's Legendary Sannins, Tsunade-sama."

The Raikage stared at Sakura. She looked interested.

"…I've heard about Tsunade-sama, of course—her feats are no shorter than legendary, even amongst the people of our land. It is unfortunate about what happened to her during the last Legendary War," she said calmly, "For Konoha to send her apprentice here—you people surely know how to put a pressure."

She smiled, which prompted Sakura to do the same.

"I suppose I can see the reason behind you three being here," the Raikage added, "What a fortunate coincidence, actually… there's something I need to discuss with the people of Konoha as well."—this statement caught Leaf Jounins by surprise a bit.

"I'll speak to you three later…" she returned her glance to Gaara, "First thing first, however. Kazekage-dono—surely you have no intention of completing our business today in here of all places, right?"

"Of course not," Gaara replied politely. He gave a meaningful look to the Sand's escorts that accompanied Raikage's entourage from the border, and they immediately dispersed themselves—all quickly ventured inside the Hidden Village. Then, he said to her,

"Come inside, Raikage-sama," he said, "We have prepared a place for our business today."

"Very well," the Raikage nodded.

* * *

-**Hidden Village of Sand**

The short journey required from the entrance to the building Gaara has prepared was not exactly that one would call… dull. Obviously, the sight of a Kage from another country walking so casually on the streets was not something that could just normally happen in everyday life. Most particularly a Kage of a Hidden Village where everything that was known about it were merely results of speculations, rumors, or stories told through whispers from overexcited gossipers.

…Thus, apparently all citizens of Sand saw fit to throw their most upmost attention towards the event that unfolded before their very eyes. Curious eyes were abound; from behind opened windows, opened doors, and from seemingly every corners of every buildings in the Sand. The interest was unmistakable, and the most prominent atmosphere on the scene was best described as a mix of excitement and worry.

…

Even Sakura looked kind of flustered with all the attention. Though it was obvious that she's a Leaf Jounin and therefore impossible to become a part of Raikage's entourage, many people still nevertheless threw their curious looks and glares on her, making her slightly uncomfortable. Though, to her relief, neither Naruto nor Sai showed any signs of abashments on their expressions regardless of all the unwarranted attention. Sai didn't surprise her, because she knew that he's just the kind of person that always seemed manage to be unfazed by literally _everything_. Naruto's composed attitude, however, surprised her a bit.

…Though perhaps she should have known better. Unwarranted attention was not something alien to Naruto, after all. His childhood was one of those rare topics the usually loud-mouth Ninja didn't want to talk about to anyone else, even her. She couldn't really blame him for that, though—memories of nearly the entire people in the Village hating him for reasons forced upon him surely couldn't be exactly called pleasant. Worse, he was forced to carry the reason why he was hated for his entire life—it's like a constant reminder of his painful past he'd surely more than willing to part with, if possible…

…

Sakura shook her head, and tried to reason to herself that she shouldn't lose focus on a very important job like this. Disregarding the fact that these days she always seemed to get lost in her own thoughts every time she looked at Naruto any longer than what's truly necessary, she looked to the direction where Naruto was intently looking.

It piqued her curiosity because apparently the beautiful red-haired Raikage was not the subject of Naruto's interest right now. Instead, he was looking at one of those masked men walking beside her. Not all of them, just one of them—the one currently walking right behind the Raikage and Gaara. For all the things in the world Sakura couldn't figure out what was the reason behind his intent staring—she couldn't find anything more peculiar from that particular Shadow Cloud member compared to the others.

She wished she could see all of their faces, though, or at least some recognizable parts of their head. To her slight surprise, the strange masks covered not only the front part of their faces, but also their back part as well, not allowing any parts of their heads to escape, save the ears since the parts on the mask that was supposed to cover them were opened on both sides. Each of the masks were split into front and back parts, and she could sense a very tiny amount of chakra manipulation of some kind was used to 'bind' them together to create a helmet of some sort. She was rather impressed, actually, to see the kind of extent these guys willing to do to safeguard their identity—no wonder Leaf's intelligence couldn't gather much information about them.

…

Anyway, Naruto may be—for whatever reason—was more willing to pay his attention to one of the Shadow Cloud members, but not her. She found the Raikage as a _much_ more interesting subject of attention. The fact that the Raikage was a beautiful young man not that far from her in terms of age was definitely a factor, but ultimately it was the way she carried herself that managed to capture most of her attention. Of course, it came to no surprise to Sakura that the Raikage managed to be composed during the whole ordeal, seeing that she's a leader of a Hidden Village and all, but the fact that she appeared to be very…… friendly…… was something that Sakura did not expect to happen.

It's true—now, during their journey to the building where today's main event would take place, she's involved in a rather lively conversation with Gaara. Perhaps it would be more prudent to say that she's the one that was lively, not the conversation, since _she_'_s_ the one that did most of the talking, where Gaara mostly just replied with a short "Hmm", "Yes", and a nod or two. From what Sakura could overhear, the Raikage told Gaara numerous things: first, her name: Hinomuya Tatsuki. She apparently came from a line of famous noble family, where almost all members of her family were related to all previous Raikages in some ways, and some of them even managed to become honored with that title in their Hidden Village. She also told Gaara many general things about the place she led, like the usual weather there, the kind of people that lived there… those kinds of things.

…Sakura knew very little about Hidden Cloud—all she knew was the fact that they didn't even left a finger to help Konoha and Sand back then during the times of the Legendary War, and the main policy of their international politics was along the line of 'Don't bother us' or 'Leave us alone.' Their extremely strict border policy was infamous—not even one person, no matter how important, could get inside regardless of the circumstances. They didn't want to be a part of anything, and disclosed very little to none information about them to anyone else, although it was generally known that they had a very stable economy…… how they managed to keep their economy afloat even with such adherence to a very introvert way of living, however, was another mystery of its own.

Their economical prowess was one of very little things the general public knew about them—ultimately, Hidden Cloud was still a place shrouded in countless mysteries. How the leader of such a place could so casually involved herself in a lively conversation, and acted like she's…… like she's _Ino_ or something…, was a very surprising thing indeed. She was like the extreme opposite to the four Ninjas that guarded her—they looked like the kind of people who would have no qualm whatsoever to slit the throat of anybody who accidentally bump onto their leader.

Sakura couldn't help but to greatly wonder what the thing that Hinomuya said she wanted to discuss with them was……

…Though for now, at least, all of those things didn't really matter. Even though Hinomuya seemed like not the kind of person who would nefariously brew some sort of foul schemes, it didn't remove such possibility off the list just yet, and Sakura knew she couldn't afford to be careless to such things. There's also the matter of the unknown third player—the one that set motion yesterday's horrible events. Their intentions were still unknown, but it was without doubt that they would use whatever means necessary to achieve their goals—and that kind of people was really the most dangerous type of enemies.

…

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto suddenly edged up closer to her to tap one of her shoulders—he was whispering so that no one else could hear him other than Sakura, "…Look over there."

"What?" Sakura looked to the direction where Naruto jerked his head.

What she saw over there spurred a great sense of relief to her heart. Standing near one of the lamp posts besides the road the group travelled on, was none other than the little girl named Eri.

Sakura was relieved to see that she appeared to be just fine. She didn't look for her last night because of her exhaustion, and this morning she didn't have time to look for her because she needed to revitalize as many Sand Ninjas as possible from their fatigued conditions. She never stopped worrying about her, though, and she felt responsible for her disappearance because Naruto had entrusted that young girl with her yesterday. She feared something foul could happen to Eri, and that's why it's such a great relief to see her standing there, showing no signs whatsoever that anything wrong happened to her—although something _did_ change: Eri didn't wear the same clothes like the one she wore yesterday, and she looked a lot better compared to the state she's in when Naruto first saved her from the affected Ninjas.

The young girl took notice of Naruto and Sakura, and she immediately waved her hands energetically and smiled widely. This prompted Naruto and Sakura to do just same—they waved their hands at the same time and showed Eri a big smile on their faces.

Eri didn't stop waving even after the group has passed her location—Sakura couldn't help but to glance back at her every once in a while before she finally lost sight of her when the group made a left on the next junction.

…

"Told you she's fine," Naruto grinned to Sakura.

"Yeah… I'm relieved," Sakura admitted as she let out a relieved sigh, "…But, it appeared like she still hasn't found her parents yet, Naruto. It seemed like she's standing there all alone."

Sakura looked worried again.

"Nah, I'm sure she already found them," Naruto gave her assurance, "Haven't you noticed, Sakura-chan? She wore different set of clothes today. She looked fresh and clean, too. Her parents must have somehow found her already and took care of her. You needn't worry too much—we have much bigger task to focus on right now."

Sakura gave it some thoughts for a while, and then she nodded quietly.

…He's right, of course. They're in the middle of a very important job, and neither of them could afford to be distracted by anything not related to the task at hand.

"You're right," she said, "Sorry."

Naruto just grinned.

…

The group continued to march along the street, with still many curious eyes and whispers accompanying their every single step along the way. Aside from all the attention, the trip was largely uneventful—nothing truly suspicious ever shown themselves up.

Although Sakura thought it was to be expected. If their enemy was really planning to do something, most probably they wouldn't do it out in the open like this, attacking the group head-on. It involved too many risks: the Kages themselves should pose a large threat in a head-on attack—not to mention the so called Shadow Cloud members _and _the Leaf Jounins also.

…Of course, that's discounting the fact that the Raikage has nothing to do with those unseen enemies lurking in the shadows. If she did have something to do with them, things could get _really_ ugly soon… no matter what…

* * *

**-Streets of Sand**

Once the Kages' group was lost from her sight, Eri moved away from the main road. She looked around her surroundings, somewhat squinting her eyes a little.

…All the people that she could see with her naked eyes out in the open were nothing but just curious civilians, with some low-level Ninjas here and there. For the eyes of ordinary people, it may seemed like security was pretty low……, but she knew better.

Even when her eyes could not see them straight-forwardly, she knew that the security was in fact, not too shabby at all. Many were stationed on places not easily concealed, and judging from how they masked their presence, those that could not be seen were most obviously not just average-level Ninjas—they're way beyond that.

…

She paused for a moment, thoughts running inside her head,

"_It seems like the plan to weaken their defense before the plan is not as effective as it should be_," she mused inside her mind, "_Since the worms were defeated, the holes in Sand's defenses are not as big as we hoped for_. _It seems like we should expect more casualties in our side than we first anticipated_."

…

Eri looked around once more.

"_I should get ready_," she thought, "_I must be careful_—_the second phase of our plan_…_ our true plan starts from here_…"

She retreat her steps onto the dark shadows of a nearby alleyway, careful so that no one paid any unwanted attention to her.

Then, without anybody noticing, she vanished.

* * *

**-Northern Meeting Building**

For an event as important as this, Naruto was kind of surprised that Gaara picked a very humble place that served as a venue to its proceedings.

The building where Gaara said he has prepared for the event was not a large one. It was relatively small, and shaped like an amphitheater. The alliance treaty itself was conducted on a long oval-shaped table at the northern part of the room, at the lowest floor of the amphitheater. Gaara sat on the right side, with Leaf Jounins stood next to him, as well as few elite-looking Sand Ninjas. Hinomuya herself sat at the other end of the table, with her so called Shadow Cloud members stood stoically next to her, seemed ready to guard their leader from any possible harm that may come.

The room was also filled with numerous elite and very tough looking Sand Ninjas. Naruto didn't really know the exact details, but he thought that it would be a safe bet that they're all at the very least were Jounins-level in terms of battle and combat capabilities.

The security seemed so nicely wrapped up that he couldn't help but to feel kind of impressed with how the Sand Ninjas under Gaara managed to rebound so effectively even after what happened to them yesterday. It's like nothing did actually happen at all… Although, that feeling still couldn't really compare with the sense of proud he has for his pink-haired Kunoichi—if it's not for her efforts in dealing with yesterday's situation, things could have gone much, much worse today.

…The alliance proceeding itself didn't take a very long time to finish, due to the surprisingly cooperative willingness from Hinomuya to basically accepting anything the Sand offered as their terms. There were moments where even Gaara couldn't help but to show a "Really?" expression on his face, moments where he didn't think his fellow Kage would be so willingly obliging to Sand's demands without making any fuss whatsoever. Of course, it's not that Sand would demand unreasonable or irrational in the first place—still, a willingness to comply without any argument at all was definitely not something that Gaara expected today.

…

"So I should just approve here, correct?" Hinomuya mused as she pointed her right index finger to the long piece of paper atop the table in front of her, "Chakra approval, I presume?"

"Yes," Gaara nodded.

"Very well," she pushed her finger towards the specified location on the paper. She exerted a small amount a Chakra towards it, and like magic, there's suddenly a red-colored circle drawn around her finger on the paper. The circle flashed a bit, and when she pulled her finger back up, a Japanese word meaning "Seal" appeared on the surface of the paper.

"I suppose this means that as from now on, Cloud and Sand are allies," Hinomuya said with a smile on her face.

"Yes," Gaara said, "But if I may voice my opinion, Raikage-sama…, I am a bit surprised by your willingness to cooperate with Sand, and your willingness to seemingly accept all of our terms without voicing any objections at all. I must also say that I am surprised that Cloud even proposed an alliance to us in the first place."

"Are you saying that I should voice objections to your terms?" Hinomuya replied, still with a smile, "Perhaps it would be best if you could voice your concerns about our alliance _before_ I put my approval seal, Kazekage-dono."

She laughed a little when she saw the face Gaara was making as a response to her statement.

"I am just joking, Kazekage-dono," she said with a chuckle, "Though, I do understand your concerns. We Hidden Cloud have stayed too long being indifferent to those around us, I suppose it's just natural for you to be apprehensive about our sudden offering of an alliance. To tell you the truth, though, there are still many that disagreed about Cloud working together with another country. In fact, I daresay that those who disagreed far outnumber those that agreed. I guess the idea of we being a proud, invincible power has latched itself into too many of our people's heads."

"Then why are you finally propose the alliance anyway?" Gaara asked—he looked interested, as did Naruto, Sakura, and Sai, though the Leaf's Jounins haven't said anything during the entire proceedings yet, "Surely you oppose many of your own men when you decided to forge an alliance with us?"

…

Hinomuya leaned herself on the back of the seat she sat on—she looked directly at Gaara.

"Like I implied before," she said seriously, "Sometimes my own people are too proud for their own good. There are… numbers of circumstances that forced me to propose an alliance with another Hidden Village, even under the disapproving glares of many. Circumstances that may consequently… lead to the downfall of Hidden Cloud itself… if we just letting our sense of proud inhibiting us from what really should be done."

"…Really?" Gaara looked kind of amused, "I suppose then by forging an alliance with us you'd like to request our aid to handle those so-called 'circumstances'? Is this why you're so uncharacteristically willing to accept all of our terms so easily back then?"

"Yes, and you may take that as you will," Hinomuya said evenly as she lifted her right hand up, "…Yes, the main reason why I proposed an alliance with Sand in the first place is so that I can gather as many allies as possible in order to deal with those circumstances. But it's not like you won't reap any rewards whatsoever in forging an alliance with us, Kazekage-dono—surely your willingness to sign this alliance in the first place was because the Council of Sand pushed you, right? You couldn't possibly say that this alliance between us wouldn't do you any good, especially since I agreed to all the things Sand proposed without any objection whatsoever… things that surely designed to maximize the profit Sand would get from this alliance."

Gaara smiled.

"…Very well then, I shall press that matter no further, lest we start talking in circles," he responded briefly, "Of course, since you already willing to tell me that much, surely you will allow me the honor to know just what exactly, those 'circumstances' are?"

…

Hinomuya put her elbows on top of the table, and rest her chin on the back palms of her hands. Her expression looked deathly serious.

"Our country," she said in a serious tone, "Is in danger of a civil war."

"_Civil War_?" Sai mused inside his head—he looked very interested.

"…About three months ago, an unknown group of considerable force assaulted our Village," Hinomuya continued, "Through unbelievable efficiency and effectiveness, they managed to not just breach our security, but also assassinated numerous very important members of the Cloud Council—members that are key individuals to keep stability in Cloud."

"Really?" Gaara looked mildly surprised—perhaps he found it surprising that Cloud was facing a problem similar to Sand, in that they were attacked by unknown assailants. He very much doubted those facts were connected with each other, however.

"Yes, and I believe I was one of their targets as well, though they failed to kill me, as you can see," Hinomuya said, "The effect of that assault was enormous, unfortunately, since not only the Council lost many of its most important members, the psyche of my people was also disturbed heavily. My people always believed that we are a powerful Village—invincible, even. That's why when a mysterious group managed to launch an assault against us with such result, they all shook in fear. They just couldn't believe that someone could actually cause that much damage to us."

"Did you manage to find anything about your attacker?" suddenly Sai chimed in the conversation.

Hinomuya looked at him for a while, before answering,

"Yes," she nodded, "It wasn't by any stretch easy, but we have managed to gather sufficient proof to substantiate a guess that they worked together with one of the most important, most powerful, and most influential members of our own Council. A traitor, if you will. That's why they managed to organize such an effective assault inside our own territory."

"What's their objective?" Gaara asked.

"We believe that that certain member of the Council was trying to conquer the Village under his own belt, for his own unquestionably selfish purposes," she answered, "In other words, he was trying to enact a coup against our government, the rightful ruler of the Village. It coincided with the fact that the members of the Council that were killed during the assault were those that may have the power to interfere with his ambitions."

"Why don't you do something about that traitor then?" suddenly Naruto jumped in, "Why don't you just kick his ass or something?"

Hinomuya seemed amused by Naruto's comment, while Sakura looked like she was itching to smack some sense into her blonde companion's head for saying such sentences in the presence of two Kages of another Hidden Villages (Gaara didn't seem to mind, though.)

"The traitor is a very cunning man—he may not a very capable Ninja in terms of battle prowess, but he is a very clever and highly intelligent person," Hinomuya said, "His intelligence and quick thinking, combined with the fact that he is a very powerful and influential man, not to mention considerably wealthy, makes the task of… kicking his ass…" she smiled, "…Extremely difficult. I hate to say it, but if I am allowed to venture a guess, his power and influence over the people of the Cloud may even surpass my own as the Raikage."

"Carry on," Gaara said.

…

Hinomuya paused for a moment. For a second, she looked visibly distraught. However, she quickly regained her composure and then continued,

"The traitor always succeeded in evading each and every attempt from my part to bring him to justice. He has many powerful friends willing to aid him in his ambitions, friends that he undoubtedly already seduced to see his side of things on the matter," she sighed, "Worse, it seemed like with each passing days he managed to gather more and more allies to help him with his cause. I believed that even some members of our own Council have been swayed by him and his promise of wealth and glory. In contrast, my allies—those still willing to put their loyalty for me—grew thinner and thinner… although I must say that it is very fortunate indeed that at the very least, the Shadow Cloud members are still loyal to me."

"So that's why you proposed an alliance with us," Gaara concluded, "When you ran out of allies inside your own place, you seek new allies outside that place… allies that your traitor cannot possibly reach, no matter how much of an influence he has in his own home turf."

"Pretty much," she admitted, "I assure you though, it is not an easy task trying to propose an alliance with you. Many of the Members of the Council opposed this idea—most probably those members already under the influence of the traitor. Fortunately, proposing an alliance is still within my legal power, so they couldn't do much about it, and much of the common folks in Cloud didn't really care either way anyway."

She sighed.

"If things continue this way, sooner or later we will have a war waged between our own people—those who are still loyal to me against those who already defected to the traitor's side," she said sullenly, "No matter who the winner in the end is going to be, my people would suffer nevertheless. I must avoid that at any cost."

Sakura glanced at the Shadow Cloud members standing guard close to the Raikage.

As though Hinomuya could understand the meaning behind Sakura glance, she smiled and said,

"Yes, and that is also the reason why I carry only four members of the Shadow Cloud with me to the Sand," she explained, "The rest of them I left back at the Hidden Village to safeguard it during my absence, to limit the traitor's possible movements when I am gone. These guys are amongst the select few whom I can put my trust with, without any doubt."

She paused for a moment, before saying,

"Although we did have one special case," she said grimly, "One of the youngest Shadow Cloud members went missing—we suspected she went missing perhaps to pursue her own interest… but it is of no concern to either of us right now, Kazekage-dono. We'll deal with her ourselves."

Gaara nodded a little—then he spoke out,

"Okay then," he said, "Although I'd prefer you told me first about this matter _before_ the alliance signing, your request for aid from the Sand about the matter is not unreasonable. Of course, that is, assuming, what you just told us really was the truth."

"I have no reason to lie," Hinomuya said straight-forwardly—she didn't look surprised at Gaara's remark; in fact, it seemed like she already expected Gaara would say what he just said.

"We'll see," Gaara said shortly, "But one thing still bothers me, though."

"And what is that?"

"If what you seek from this alliance is merely an ally that you can fall back to in times of need," Gaara stared at Hinomuya, "Why do you skip Leaf and went straight to Sand?"

Almost reflexively Hinomuya looked on the three Leaf Jounins standing close to Gaara.

"Leaf is quite possibly the strongest military power in the world," Gaara continued calmly, "I mean, Sand is no slouch itself, but you couldn't possibly say that gaining Leaf as an ally to help you wouldn't be beneficial for your cause, am I correct?"

Hinomuya continued to gaze towards Sai, Sakura, and Naruto—for some reason, when her eyes met the blonde Jounin, she lingered a bit.

"Yes, that is indeed a very reasonable way of thinking," she answered quietly.

"…To tell you the truth, Raikage-sama," this time it was Sakura who spoke out, "That question is the exact reason why we are here in the first place. Hokage-sama would like to confirm your reason of ignoring the Leaf when you went straight to the Sand instead."

"Yes, I know that as soon as I see you three here," the Raikage corrected her seating position, "As for me ignoring the Leaf, I have my own reason for it."

"May we know what?" Sakura said again.

…

Hinomuya closed her eyes for a moment—it appeared like she was thinking about something. When she opened her eyes and spoke, her voice was serene and somewhat absentminded,

"Like I said before, three months ago our Village was assaulted by an unknown but nevertheless powerful group," she said, "That group not only managed to break through our defenses, they also managed to kill several key figures amongst our government, causing instability and chaos I must worked very hard to quell."

She paused for a moment, before continuing,

"Also, as I have said before, I am one of their targets as well," she said, "A member of the assailant group managed to force his way into my chamber—I guess he was the leader of the whole pack. We fought."

She stopped.

…

"Is he strong?" Naruto shot a question.

"He was an incredibly strong Ninja," Hinomuya nodded casually, "Even with _three_ members of the Shadow Cloud backing me up, our victory did not come easily. He even managed to severely injure one of the Shadow Cloud members during the fight, before we finally managed to repel him off. His Jutsus… I have never seen anything like those before in my entire life."

"What kind of Jutsus did he use?" Naruto immediately asked. An enemy strong enough to stand on the same ground with a Kage of a Hidden Village and three of her supposedly best men… that was by any means a truly impressive feat to achieve. He looked somewhat excited.

"…" Hinomuya didn't say anything, but she slowly moved her finger towards her right eye, pointing at it.

"…Doujutsu?" Sakura said.

"Yes," Hinomuya nodded slowly, "…But not just _any_ run of the mill Doujutsu, since it was capable of performing unbelievably strong Jutsus that even I had difficulties dealing with. I believe you three should know it well, since you all came from the Leaf. It was a legendary Doujutsu originated from one of your now extinct Clan."

…

Both Naruto and Sakura's expression suddenly looked like they're just hit by an extremely powerful lightning bolt. To say that they were shocked was a massive understatement. It was a surprise of such magnitude that for a moment Naruto even felt his entire body went numb.

"By that, are you saying that the Doujutsu is…" Sai muttered.

"Yes," Hinomuya nodded, "It was the Sharingan."

* * *

The room went silent as Hinomuya finished her explanation.

Even Gaara seemed unable to say anything in particular. Sai also didn't say anything—although it was obvious that he was kind of distraught because of the revelation of this new information.

The ones getting the most effect from the news, however, were no doubt would be both his companions, Naruto and Sakura. Sakura looked like some part of her brain just went down, her face was shocked beyond belief, while Naruto looked positively paralyzed.

…Of all the places they thought they could hear the news about _his_ whereabouts, they clearly didn't expect it to be here, at this moment and occasion, with the information came from a Kage of another Hidden Village, no less. Not to mention the nature of the information—that for some reason he led an attack against another country's Hidden Village……

…

……

It was Naruto first that recovered from the shock.

"…Are you sure it was the Sharingan?" he asked—although he felt kind of silly himself asking such a question to Hinomuya, as if he doubted her observational skills as a Kage, "Are you sure it wasn't something else?"

"There's no question about it," she answered the question firmly, "There's practically no Ninja alive that doesn't know about that legendary Doujutsu, even when they may never have the privilege of seeing it with their own eyes. Even the events that circled around its existence are relatively known throughout the Ninja world—such as the extermination of the Clan where the Sharingan originated that happened so many years ago."

She took a slight breath, before continuing,

"Come to think of it, it is also a well-known fact that your Hokage, the famed Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake, is a Sharingan user, correct?" she said, "And since I am sure that the one I fought three months ago was not your Hokage, I must conclude that it was the last remnant of the Uchiha Clan that was there trying to kill me. That it was the only person in this world possessing the powers of the Sharingan besides your leader—a remnant of that famous clan with the name of, if I am not mistaken, _Uchiha Sasuke_."

"You seem to know a lot of things about the Sharingan," this time Sakura spoke out—she did not seem to realize it, but the way she spoke that was somewhat… unfriendly.

Hinomuya just shrugged her shoulders.

"Not very much, actually—not anything beyond common knowledge anyway," she said coolly, "…At the very least, common knowledge for someone who sit in my kind of position should know."

…

"Is that why you went straight to Sand instead to the Leaf first?" Sai asked, "Because the one that attacked your Village was Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Basically, yes," Hinomuya nodded, "This is exactly what I wanted to talk to you Leaf people about later—but I suppose now is as good time as any, since Kazekage-dono himself that asked the question about it."

"But as I am sure you are aware, Uchiha Sasuke is no longer with us—he is one of our most wanted Missing-Nin," Sai continued—he could feel Naruto and Sakura's getting uncomfortable with how he described Sasuke, but for now he chose to ignore them, "Konoha doesn't have any ties or connection with him any longer beyond the fact that he was, originally, a Konoha Ninja."

"Formally, yes," Hinomuya said shortly.

"What do you mean by that?" Sai asked again.

"Let's just say that I have a very good reason to assume…" she responded thoughtfully, "That… someone, from Konoha, worked together with your so-called Missing-Nin and the traitor in my Council to orchestrate that attack three months ago. Although exactly for what purpose or what benefit, I couldn't tell."

Sai looked surprised.

"…What do you mean by that?" Naruto said aloud, "Are you accusing us trying to overthrow you as the Raikage?"

"No… or, should I say, perhaps not," Hinomuya replied calmly, "Anyway, I didn't say it was _Konoha_ that worked together with the Uchiha… I said it was _someone_ from Konoha. Big difference there."

"Are you saying there's someone inside our own Village working together with Uchiha Sasuke trying to overthrow your government?" Sai asked, "If you have any idea about the identity of this certain 'someone', might we ask you to tell us right now?"

"Unfortunately, no," Hinomuya shook her head slowly, "All we got so far was an indication that there's a collaborator on Konoha, but we haven't yet able to determine his or her identity. The collaborator must be a very cunning person indeed—to be able to hide one's identity while working on a scheme to launch a coup in another country… it is by no means an easy feat to accomplish."

"But surely that's not a strong enough reason to avoid Konoha altogether," Sai added an argument, "If you form an alliance with us, we could work together to find out who that person from Konoha is. When we find him or her, then you should be able to…"

"If you must do it, you have to do so yourself," Hinomuya cut through Sai firmly, "I simply could not risk signing an alliance with Leaf for the time being. An alliance would mean that Cloud is obliged to allow any Konoha citizens, be they civilians or otherwise, to pass to our territory freely, largely unsupervised. This would provide ample opportunities for the collaborator to sneak things such as reinforcements or hidden supplies to support the traitor's efforts to overthrow me. That, I could not possibly allow."

She held her breath for a moment, before continuing,

"Before the collaborator's identity is exposed and he or she is neutralized, an alliance between Leaf and Cloud is a definite no," she said, "…for all we know, the collaborator could be your Hokage himself."

Both Naruto and Sakura looked offended at the same time, although it was Naruto who managed to react quicker,

"Kakashi-Sensei is _not_ that kind of person," he said heatedly, "I don't care if you are the Raikage or a woman, if you dare to insult him anymore, I would _not_ hesitate to teach you a lesson or two."

One of the Shadow Cloud members moved slightly, but he stopped when Hinomuya gave him a glance. She then turned her attention back to Naruto.

"Alright, I apologize—that was very rude of me to accuse your Leader like that," she smiled, "Regardless, the fact that the collaborator was able to work out a scheme on such scale without your Hokage knowing it, clearly indicated that he or she is a person of great power and influence in your Village. You three should inform this information I just gave you to Hatake Kakashi—only when and _if_ the threat could be neutralized, then I'd be willing to talk to Konoha."

…

……

The room turned silent once again, as everyone that was inside it seemed to have lost in their own thoughts about all the things in the conversation.

During this moment of silence, Sakura couldn't help herself not to move her eyes towards Naruto.

The information about Sasuke-kun's whereabouts arrived so unexpectedly, it must have left quite an impact to her blonde companion. She was shocked too, of course, and even more so when the information revealed that her former companion—for reasons beyond her capacity to deduce—was apparently involved in a coup attempt to overthrow a Kage of another country's Hidden Village. But she's willing to bet that no matter how much the information affected her, it affected Naruto even more.

…To be honest, there's a feeling of relief that snuck inside her heart when she knew, at the very least, that Sasuke-kun was still somewhere out there, alive. After the conclusion of the Legendary War many years ago, news about his whereabouts were very few in numbers, and even those that available were extremely vague at best. It seemed like Sasuke-kun, who was once a member of the Akatsuki himself, just disappeared from the face of the earth as soon as the War ended. There were times when she couldn't help but to admit that she's worried about him, although obviously she couldn't say it out loud seeing that most people in Konoha viewed Sasuke-kun unfavorably.

So hearing the fact that he was still alive sent a sense of relief for her. She thought that, surely, Naruto must have felt the same way as well… although to her surprise his expression didn't show any kind of significant emotion whatsoever.

In fact, when she observed Naruto more intently, she thought that besides his first initial shock, he acted uncharacteristically indifferent to the information Hinomuya just presented to them… It was not like him to act all so calmly when Sasuke-kun's name came up in a conversation.

…Just what was there inside his mind right now?

…

"Anyway," Hinomuya said, "I believe this means that Sand and Cloud are officially allies. I'm looking forward to what kind of aid you can provide me to deal with my problem."

"You are already asking for favors?" Gaara smiled, "Very well, I'll see what…"

-BANG!-

Suddenly, a distinct sound of an explosion could be heard from outside the building. Then, a sound similar to an overloud whistle followed immediately.

The Shadow Cloud members quickly moved to surround their leader, and Gaara gave a glance to the nearest Sand Ninja standing near the window. The Ninja looked out through the window, and then with a voice filled with immediate urgency, he said, "Sir, it appears a warning flare just went up. The sound of the explosion we just heard, it was one of the flares being sent up."

Gaara stood up—some Sand Ninjas inside the room hastily rushed themselves to his side, ready to guard his safety with their very lives, if necessary. Naruto instinctively took out his kunai from his vest, a move immediately followed by both Sakura and Sai. They took a readied stance.

Gaara immediately activated the radio Kankurou gave to him earlier.

"Kankurou," he said, "Temari. What happened out there?"

…

-Bzzzzzttt-

…

The only reply that came to answer his question was just the voice of static.

"Kankurou!" Gaara shouted to the radio, "Temari!"

Static was once again the only reply for a few seconds, when suddenly a recognizable voice came out through Gaara's radio.

"_Gaara_!" said Temari's face from the other side, "_Are you alright_?"

"We're fine," Gaara responded calmly—he looked somewhat glad hearing Temari's voice, "Nothing happens here… yet. What happened out there?"

Naruto hastily dashed towards the nearest window, looking outside.

-BANG!-

-BANG!-

-BANG!-

Multiple similar explosion voices erupted, immediately followed by multiple similar sounds similar to overly loud whistles.

From where his vantage point right now, Naruto could see flares went up from all sorts of places of Sand Village—they came up almost at the same time, almost like someone just flicked a switch for them to launch up. There's no mistake, it was the flares that Kankurou told them would be launched up if something went wrong.

Obviously, something _really_ went wrong.

…

"…_Multiple assailants_!" Temari's urgent voice could be heard from the radio, "_They knew exactly where to strike_! …_Nearly all Ninjas stationed on guard posts are attacked by unknown assailants_!"

Multiple loud noises came through the radio.

"…_Damn it_! _What kind of_…" Temari's voice broke through, which was immediately followed by what was unmistakably sound of combat.

…

… And then, silence.

…

"Temari!" Gaara said urgently through his radio, "…Temari!"

-Bzzzzzzzttt-

The only reply that came was just, once again, voice of static.

Gaara didn't allow his feelings to show up in his expression, but it was obvious to anyone that looked at him that he was actually very worried.

…

"Should I help?" Hinomuya gave an offer—she still looked somewhat indifferent to all the proceedings that happened around her, "I can dispatch my Shadow Cloud members to check things out if you want, Kazekage-dono."

"No, I'll do it," Naruto suddenly suggested—he whirled his right arms, stretching his muscles, his face looked determined, "It is very obvious that the ultimate target would be you and Gaara here—we should keep as many people as possible in this room to guard you two. Let me check things out."

"Let me come with you, Naruto," Sakura proposed to him.

"No, don't," Sai interjected, "If there's any of us that _should_ stay here, it should be you, Sakura. We need your Medical Jutsus in case something goes wrong in here. No matter what, the safety of both Kazekage and Raikage should become our highest priority."

"He's right, Sakura-chan," Naruto nodded approvingly, "You stay here—your skills are needed here should anything happens. I should be fine on my own, don't worry."

Defeated, all Sakura could do was to show disappointed expression with a quiet nod.

"Alright," Naruto flexed his muscles once again, "I'll let you guys know as soon as I figure things out," he tapped the radio wired on him.

"Be careful," Gaara suddenly said, "…And…"

"Yeah, thanks," Naruto nodded, "Don't worry—I'll keep a lookout for both your brother and sister."

"Appreciated," Gaara bowed a little.

Hinomuya gave an interested look to Naruto as he and Gaara talked to each other. Perhaps she was wondering how the leader of the Sand and a Jounin from the Leaf could talk not only on first name basis with each other, but also in a seemingly very friendly manner.

"See you," Naruto waved his hand a little to Sakura and Sai before he dashed towards the nearest window and jumped out from it.

…

"…Who is that Ninja?" Hinomuya asked when Naruto has gone out of sight, "It may seem strange for me to say this—but he looked kind of familiar."

"He is Uzumaki Naruto," Gaara replied shortly, "Perhaps you have heard of him."

Hinomuya looked like she was thinking of something for a moment, before finally saying,

"Aaah, I see," she said, "He is the last student of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, yes?"

It sounded strange for Sakura that Naruto's name was known even by the leader of a Village that never showed any concern to anything but itself until know. Although perhaps she shouldn't feel so surprised—Jiraiya-sama was one of the most famous Konoha Ninja in history, and perhaps the fact that Naruto's name was known even in the Cloud was more due to his relation to Jiraiya instead of his own accomplishments or anything.

…

-BANG!-

It seemed like another flare went up.

When she looked outside through the window nearest to her, the skies of Sand looked so beautiful with many colored flares shot to the air. It was like there's a huge carnival going on out there.

But she knew that the cause of such sight was something dangerous… something hidden in the darkness… ready to attack, ready to attack.

When the time comes, when the moment comes… she should be ready for it.

* * *

-**Streets of Sand**

Naruto honestly didn't know where to start—he didn't know where to look for Temari and Kankurou, and his attempts to contact them through radio was replied by nothing more but static. He could also hear various battle sounds from afar, but it was impossible to determine whether Temari and/or Kankurou would be on one of those battles or not since communication couldn't be conducted.

So, he figured he should just hurry himself to the nearest location where the one of the flares just went up. Something definitely happened on the place where a flare went up, and perhaps he would be able to figure things up starting from there.

"……"

However, he couldn't help but to stop when he saw numerous Sand Ninjas lying on the ground, out in the open on the streets just like that. They looked like they were parts of those tasked to guard today's events. Unfortunately, much to Naruto's dismay, apparently it was obvious that they weren't amongst the living any longer.

Moreover, something else greatly bothered Naruto other than the fact that they were all dead.

The state of bodies of the victims…

…They were…

…

Naruto kneeled near one of the victims.

He activated his radio.

"…Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan," he muttered, "Do you copy?"

He needed to wait for a moment before a reply came back,

"_Yes_," Sakura replied from the other side, "_What is wrong_, _Naruto_?"

"Uhh…" Naruto said—he wasn't sure how to best describe what's in front of him right now, "From what I can see, there are numerous dead casualties amongst Sand Ninjas. However, I have yet seen any of the attackers yet—Sand's civilians, on the other hand, all seemed smart enough to stay in their houses during this entire ordeal. Fortunately, as far as I can tell, I am not seeing any casualties amongst them."

"_Gaara-kun told me that they were given strict orders to stay in their houses in case something like this is happening_," Sakura answered.

"Smart move," Naruto said shortly, "Because whatever happens to the guys here, I sure am don't want them to happen to any women or children, or anyone else, for that matter."

"_What_?" Sakura replied, "_What's wrong_?"

"…I don't know what kind of Jutsu could cause this kind of thing…" Naruto said, "But… Sakura-chan, there's some sort of… black… liquid… or something… They're covered in some sort of… slimy things…"

"_Don't touch them, Naruto_!" Sakura said urgently, "_We don't know anything about it yet, it may be dangerous!_"

"Yeah, well, I don't want to touch it anyway," Naruto said grimly, "They look revolting."

Naruto knew that it'd be pointless—but he thought he gave it a try anyway: he erected his hand to reach a neck of one of Sand Ninjas lying on the ground, looking for any signs of pulse. Just as he suspected though—he couldn't detect any pulse, so…

!!!!!

Naruto immediately jumped back, and landed not too far south from the original location.

His eyes glared forward, the expression on his face was that of extremely dumbfounded.

To say that he was utterly surprised was a massive understatement.

"Whoa," Naruto said shockingly, "…What the…?"

"_What's wrong, Naruto_?" Sakura sounded worried, "_What happens_?"

"……"

Apparently Naruto couldn't answer just yet because suddenly he got his hands full. Four unexpected attackers suddenly jumped right to him, all at the same time, all with obvious intent to kill.

One of them lurched towards him with his Kunai thrust, which Naruto avoided by quickly moved away to the left. A ferocious spinning kick to his head awaited him there, though, and Naruto immediately ducked down—the kick whizzed above his head by merely an inch apart.

The assault didn't end there—one of the two other attackers performed an incredibly quick hand-seal and launched a Ninjutsu towards Naruto. The ground directly below where Naruto ducked to evade the previous attack was suddenly rumbling, and by only a split second afterwards the land split wide open, creating a hole that could easily swallow an adult human.

Fortunately, a second split between the rumbling and the opening hole was enough for Naruto to adjust accordingly to commit an evasion. He gathered his Chakra on both his feet and used them to propel himself up in the air.

It was an expected move, however. The three that was in the ground didn't waste any time to charge towards him with all their Kunais thrust forward, while the last of the four out of the blue appeared behind Naruto in the air with his Kunai firmly grasped in his hand, ready for the kill.

Naruto was hovering in the air, so he couldn't move to evade their attacks. Well, not without improvisation. And he did just that—an improvisation. With incredible speed, he formed hand seal to activate his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to create two clones of his, both in his front and one in his back. The real Naruto then quickly charged both his feet with Chakra, and then he unexpectedly kicked the back of the Bunshin in front of him with such force the Bunshin was jettisoning forward at an incredible speed towards the three attackers.

It seemed like the attackers didn't expect that to happen, and they haven't readied their weapons yet for such a surprise—and because they were in the air too, they couldn't perform an evasive maneuver to evade the Bunshin launched towards them. The Bunshin collided with them, and such was the force of Naruto's previous kick that the impact was quite enormous—the three of them were pushed down harshly, and the sound of them hitting the ground was not exactly pleasant either. The Bunshin itself finally evaporated in a puff of smoke, while the attackers simply lying on the ground, the position of their bodies suggested many bones were horrifically broken during the process.

All the while the above was happening, the Bunshin that Naruto created behind his back quickly grabbed both his arm. The Bunshin then apparently used all of his strength to lift the real Naruto upwards, making the real Naruto fly even higher up in the air. The last attacker proceeded to assault the Bunshin with his Kunai, and as a result the Bunshin itself was destroyed—however, he has no means of defense from the attack coming from the real Naruto who was higher in the air than him. Three buzzing Shuriken flew ferociously towards the last attacker—two of them landed squarely in his neck while the last one mercilessly made itself a home in the attacker's forehead.

The last attacker then fell to the ground with a thud, followed immediately by Naruto who landed gracefully not too far away from him.

Naruto quickly scanned through all his attackers—none of them showed any more signs of hostility…… they weren't even moving, for that matter.

…

"_Naruto_!_ Naruto_!" Sakura said urgently from the radio, "_What's going on_? _Were you attacked_?"

Naruto closed his eyes for a second as he drew a breath. Opening his eyes, he answered,

"Yeah," he said with a distraught look on his face, "By a number of… people. I managed to defeat them."

"_Can you identify the attackers_?" this time suddenly Gaara's voice intruded in through Naruto's radio.

"It's quite obvious who they are, actually," Naruto replied grimly, "Seeing that they are all Sand Ninjas."

…

Silence ensued for a couple of seconds.

…It was Gaara who broke the silence.

"_Really_?" he sounded skeptic, "_But haven't we already cured all the affected using the drugs from Haruno-san_?"

"It's different from those," Naruto explained, "It isn't like yesterday. Apparently, I'm getting attacked by the dead this time."

Apparently it seemed so much an out of this world explanation that it warranted another silence from everyone involved.

…

"……_Okay_, _Naruto, that doesn't make any sense at all_," Sakura chimed in, "_Care to explain_?"

"Well, I'm not sure how to explain it myself, but…" Naruto replied slowly, "…I checked their pulse—and I felt none. Then, all of a sudden, the blackish slimes that covered their bodies started to move. They then began entering their bodies through their mouths. Next thing that happened—those Sand Ninjas that I am sure already dead inexplicably awoke and stood up. Then they all attacked me."

Yet another silence ensued.

…

"……_Unbelievable_…" Sakura's mutter could be heard from the radio.

"Yeah, I know," Naruto appeared like he was in some sort of a dream or something, "I never would have thought such thing could be possible. After Orochimaru, I never thought anyone could perform a resurrection Jutsu such as this…"

"……_Regardless, Naruto_," Sakura quickly added, "_It is obvious that the blackish slimes you just described to us were responsible for what just happened to you. I don't think they would just be there without anyone controlling them. I also don't think someone who is capable of performing such a Jutsu would play only a small role on this attack—chances are, if you could find him or her, you'd have a good chance to stop all the attack on the Sand altogether_."

"Understood," Naruto nodded understandingly, "Very well, I'll try…"

-WHUUZZZZ-

A menacing whizzing sound suddenly came from Naruto's behind.

Naruto didn't have time to finish his sentence to Sakura—he could feel something was coming, and it was coming incredibly fast he didn't have time to properly react.

All he could do was to tilt his head a little to the left, since he sensed that something was directed to the back of his head.

-CRAAACK!-

He managed to avoid getting hit at the back of his head, but just very, very barely. Unfortunately, all could not be saved—a part of his radio equipment that was attached to his right ear was shattered. The shattering was so close happening to his ear that for a split second Naruto felt a dizzying sensation permeating his head.

Turned out, it was a medium-sized black needle that just attacked him. The needle itself fell to the ground after it impacted with his radio equipment.

It was a rather familiar black needle, to be exact. It was just the same like the needles used when he along with Sakura and Sai were attacked on their journey from Leaf to Sand.

Naruto gave a quick look to his now destroyed radio equipment that was scattered on the ground, before hastily turned to face the direction where the black needle came from. He expected the enemy to hide in the shadows—however, what he got was something else entirely.

He saw a stranger, standing in front of him, clapping his hands. Naruto felt somewhat surprised because he didn't actually sense his presence up until now.

…

……

-Clap-

-Clap-

-Clap-

"It's impressive," the stranger commented with a smile, "For you to be able to evade a sneak attack like that. Granted, it's a close call, but a miss is still a miss."

Without giving Naruto a chance to respond, the stranger quickly added,

"Not only that," he said, "But you're also able to defeat four Sand Jounin Ninjas effectively. Of course, they're not actually Sand Jounins anymore—regardless, the bodies—dead or alive—inserted with and taken over by my slimes inherited some of the skills of their previous owner, with some degree of their intelligence as well. I've never seen anyone actually using Bunshins to perform such a splendid mid-air maneuver like that—that's one of Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, yes? Pretty neat trick you did there."

Naruto was a bit surprised by what the stranger just said, because he flat out admitted that he was the one responsible for what just happened to him.

The stranger seemed lax, but it was no reason for Naruto to drop his guard.

Naruto picked up the black needle without leaving his attention off from the guy. He glanced at it for a moment, before saying,

"…You're the one that attacked us before," Naruto muttered.

"Hm? So what if I am?" the stranger flashed an annoying grin, "The way I see it, you're the one that causing more destruction than I, what's with that Jutsu you demonstrated back then. I have to admit though—you got me scared for a while with it."

Naruto threw the black needle on the ground where it made a -thunk- sound.

"Are you the one responsible for the attack on Sand?" Naruto asked directly, "What's your objective? What's your importance with the alliance between Cloud and Sand?"

The stranger unexpectedly let out a laugh.

"Not wasting any time, aren't you?" the stranger looked amused, "Hell, don't you want to at least know who is this person you are talking with right now, Uzumaki-san?"

"How do you know my name?" Naruto raised one of his eyebrows—now _that_ was something he did not expect, but he did well not to let his expression showing it.

"Name's Seto, by the way—you'd best remember it," the stranger once again flashed out a smug grin, "As to how I know your name—well, it's no stranger for me, really, since you are the one our Leader often talked about…, sometimes it felt like admiration, even. Kind of makes me envious."

"…Leader?" Naruto said, "Who is your leader?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Seto waved his hands silly, "Fond of asking questions, aren't you? We're not best friends or anything here, so don't expect me to just answer all of your questions like that, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto made a gesture to move, but he was stopped when Seto suddenly lifted his right hand.

"Let me ask you a question first," he said, "What do you think about my Jutsu? Resurrection of the dead is quite a magnificent feat to accomplish, isn't it?"

"It's disgusting," Naruto responded grimly.

Seto laughed again.

"Well, I guess that's no surprise, seeing that even my comrade gave the same exact comment like that every time she saw my Jutsu," he chuckled, "But you know, let me tell you a little secret—it's not _really_ resurrecting the dead, actually. It's more precise to say that I simply took control of their bodies with my slimes, nothing more. The personalities whose bodies I took weren't coming back to the land of the living—I simply _just _manipulating their former shell. Which is why……"

He snapped one of his fingers.

Naruto suddenly sensed something moving behind his back. Instinctively, he bolted to the right and whirled his body around.

…What he saw completely took him off guard.

The three Sand Ninjas that he took down with his Bunshin earlier already stood up, the sound of their broken bones made horrific noises as they were forced to support the bodies where they resided in regardless of their seemingly impossible condition.

The last Ninja was even more surprising—even with Naruto's shurikens firmly stuck on his neck and his forehead, he managed to get back on his feet, acting like he was uninjured even in the slightest.

…

"You can't really kill what's already dead, you know," Seto said composedly, "…At least not by any conventional means. Only if the slimes extracted from inside their bodies then they can be truly killed—of course, only I am able to do that."

"So you are the one responsible for what happened to Sand yesterday," Naruto said.

"My hands were not entirely clean, yes, but what happened to Sand yesterday was not a result of my Jutsu," Seto said casually, "You see—let me tell you another little secret about it: while it is true I can control the bodies of the dead or even the still-living by force-feeding them my slimes, I am still just one man. Controlling those slimes took out a lot of my Chakra, you know, so it's not like I am capable of making them to subdue a populace of an _entire_ Village. No, I am not the one who spread those cute little worms, although it is because of my Jutsu that the one responsible for it was able to do it in the first place."

-BANG!-

-WHEEEEEZZZEEE!-

Naruto glanced to his east—another warning flare just went up to the sky.

"Who is the person responsible for spreading the worms?" Naruto asked bluntly, "…And what is your group planning to accomplish?"

"Tell you what, Uzumaki-san," Seto smiled, "Let's play a little game to spice things up. If you could disable those Sand Ninjas infected with my slimes back there—and I do mean _really_ disable them to the point where they could be considered _totally _harmless, then I would be willing to give you nice, juicy information about the attack on the Sand… and perhaps even about our group. What say you?"

He snapped his finger again, and Naruto could distinctly hear the controlled Sand Ninjas behind his back let out a menacing inhuman-like growl. The sheer amount of killing intent they displayed was overwhelming—if it was other than any experienced Ninja like Naruto who received that kind of sensation, most probably he or she would collapse due to the overpowering pressure.

…Naruto closed his eyes.

"Oh, so now you want to play games with me?" Naruto said in a calm, deep voice, "Don't cry if you lose then."

"Interesting choice of words," Seto looked amused, "Unfortunately, they were all nothing but empty bluff unless you can prove it."

Naruto opened his eyes.

…

-DEG!-

…

Suddenly, a strange, chilling sensation permeated the air. It was so unexpected that Seto even involuntarily took a step back, out of sheer surprise.

"…_What the_…" he muttered inside his mind as he gazed towards Naruto—he looked positively surprised, "…_What_… _what is this sensation_?"

A sudden invisible heavy pressure filled the air, and Seto couldn't find any source for it other than it came from Naruto. It was so overwhelming Seto could even feel the sensation piercing his skin.

"…_W_… _what is this_?" his thoughts were running hastily, "_Is this some sort of Jutsu of his_? _No_… _I didn't see him perform any hand-seal whatsoever_. _Is_… _this sudden heavy pressure in the atmosphere is created merely by his_…… _Chakra_…?"

Then, he saw something even more surprising.

A soft, subtle red glow suddenly appeared around Naruto, blanketing his entire body from the top of his hair to the bottom of his toes. However, it happened so fast—perhaps even faster than a blink of an eye, that for a moment Seto thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

…Regardless, Seto could feel something…… odd, about Naruto right now. It was like the blonde Leaf Jounin in front of him was changing somehow…, changing in ways he could not fully comprehend… It was like there's something inside him that brewed dangerously…

"……_Leader said he is the last Jinchuuriki alive in the world, the only person with an imprisoned Demon sealed inside him_…" Seto mused with himself, "_Could it be that this has something to do with his abilities as a Jinchuuriki_? _Hmm_…"

…

……

**"Are you out of your mind, boy? Using my power to defeat opponents like these? Have you really become very powerless as a Ninja that you became so heavily dependent on me just in order to solve trivial matter such as this?"**

…

**"Surely you realize that if you use my power, even only a little, that you risk weakening the Seal even further? With each time the power of the Seal weakens, you hasten the time when I will break free from this bondage! You will hasten the time when you greet your end in front of your own face!"**

...

"I must admit that I find this interesting," Seto said straight-forwardly.

…

**"Regardless, even I must admit that your ability to mix your Chakra to mine so perfectly like this is… praise-worthy, at the very least. Though I do not understand your willingness to approach your inevitable fate even faster, but if that is truly your desire, then I would be more than willing to help to that end!"**

…

"Let's see how well you live up to your bragging, Uzumaki-san," Seto added as he snapped his finger yet again.

…

**"Come, boy!"**

…

As on cue, the four controlled Sand Ninjas jumped towards Naruto, all at the same time, all moved in for the kill.

This time, Naruto didn't budge. He didn't move from the spot where he stood—for that matter, he didn't even bother to turn his back to face the assailants. It seemed like he wasn't trying to avoid the vicious attacks coming from the Sand Ninjas—even Seto looked somewhat curious.

"GRAAAAHHH!" one of the attackers cried out beastly yell as the four of them thrust their Kunais towards the unmoving Naruto. For a moment, it seemed that the prospect of the attacks connecting to Naruto would be inevitable.

However, just when the Kunais were about to hit Naruto's back, something unexpected happened. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a sudden extremely powerful gust of wind sprung up from directly below the ground where the four Sand Ninjas was. The wind appeared so strong that it even managed to form some sort of one, huge, spinning typhoon that engulfed the entire attackers.

Also, it was obvious that the typhoon that just sprung at Naruto's back was not an ordinary one, because the wind emitted some sort of red light that streaked along with its spinning movement, creating truly one of a kind spectacle—an unnatural reddish typhoon.

The attackers that were engulfed inside the typhoon were all forcibly pushed upwards by the strong force it generated, without one of them even have a chance to do anything as their bodies spun around uncontrollably. They continued getting pushed upwards higher, and higher, until suddenly the width of the typhoon got smaller, as if it was being compressed inward by an outside force, with them still helplessly circling around inside it.

The strange reddish typhoon continued to get smaller, and smaller…

…

This time, it was Naruto's turn to snap his finger.

Without warning, the typhoon suddenly dispersed itself and the red light that streaked along with it also vanished.

A truly grizzly sight then could be seen. A sight so shocking, that even Seto couldn't help but to show a truly surprised expression on his face when he saw it.

The Sand Ninjas that he controlled with his slimes, the one that get caught within the reddish typhoon before—because now the typhoon has gone, they all fell to the ground.

Or rather, what's left of them now fell to the ground.

It was an extremely bloodcurdling sight to behold: the bodies of the Sand Ninjas were all sliced up to pieces, with their heads cut apart from their bodies, their hands torn apart, their legs destroyed to little tidbits, and their bodies were separated in small parts as if someone just cut them up nicely with a huge and extremely sharp knife.

With their bodies literally torn to pieces like that, it was clear that they wouldn't be capable of doing anything to Naruto any sooner.

…

……

"That _disabled_ enough for you?" Naruto said coolly.

"Well…" Seto muttered—he looked honestly impressed, "…That was certainly… interesting. I take it your element is Wind? For you to be able to manipulate the force of the wind to such extent… to form a small typhoon out of nowhere… also, even if it's Chakra enhanced, if I am not seeing it for myself, I wouldn't believe that someone is actually able to sharpen something such as the wind so extremely that it is capable of cutting through human bodies as easily as a knife through butter……"

The pressuring sensation he felt came from Naruto before has gone from the air.

"And is that even a Jutsu?" he continued to rabble, blissfully ignoring the fact that Naruto was staring sharply at him right now, "I didn't see you form any hand-seal whatsoever. Regardless, that was an amazing display of ability, without a doubt, Uzumaki-san…"

"But I must say though, I am really surprised," Seto quickly added, "I always thought Konoha Ninjas are the most soft-hearted Ninjas of the bunch—I wouldn't expect to see such a display of savage cruelty coming from one of its most well-known Ninjas. Hmm... Perhaps it is more correct to say that the demon sealed inside you that acted back then?"

Naruto made a gesture to move, but he was stopped again when Seto raised his hand.

"I am a man of my word," he smiled, "Let me tell you something about our attack here: our objective is neither the Sand nor the Kazekage. We came here strictly to deal with the Raikage. We want to 'borrow' the Raikage for a while."

"What are you trying to do with the Raikage?" Naruto asked straight-forwardly, "And even if you do want to kidnap the Raikage, why bother doing it here instead of when she travelled from the Cloud to the Sand?"

"To the first question: it is because we believe the Raikage has contact to someone our group is after—we need to extract the information from her about that person's whereabouts," Seto said calmly, "While all I can say to your second question is: you have to think it for yourself."

"Your group is pretty confident," Naruto replied, "To go so boldly trying to kidnap a Kage while she is in the presence of another Kage and a whole Hidden Village tasked to protect her safety. Not to mention the Raikage's personal guards."

"Oh we are confident alright, but we are not foolish," Seto smiled, "We have someone… or perhaps more correctly, some_thing_ on our side… the greatest creation from our great Leader. She, or maybe _it_, has the capabilities to neutralize all the powers any person could possibly have by pressurizing their Chakra to the point where it could no longer be used. It is our Leader's masterpiece. It is precisely because we have _it_ on our side that we are confident about our bold move to take away the Raikage right now."

* * *

**-Northern Meeting Building**

"Naruto! Naruto!"

Sakura shouted to her radio, but no answer came back. She could distinctly hear a sound of something exploded, and then after that, buzzing static.

"What happens?" Hinomuya asked.

Sakura shook her head.

"I don't know—it seems like he was attacked by someone," she said, "Perhaps he met with one of the invaders."

"Let me send a couple of men to aid him," Gaara said as he pointed his finger towards one of his men inside the room, "You," he moved his finger to someone else, "You," he moved it again to another Sand Ninja, "And you. Go out there, find Uzumaki Naruto, and help him… Make sure you find my brother and sister as well."

"Yes Sir," one of the men pointed by Gaara nodded, "We'll…"

-SPLAAAAT!-

Without warning, suddenly blood spurted out violently from his neck. He looked confused for a second, before finally fell to the ground, lifeless.

-SPLAAAT!-

Before any of the people inside the room understood what's going on, another Sand Ninja fell to the ground when his neck suddenly split open too.

And then another.

And then another.

"What the…" Sakura said, clearly befuddled as her eyes continued to streak along the fallen victims—try as she might be, she couldn't pinpoint where the attacker was.

"It seems like an invisible enemy has intruded into this room," Sai whispered to her, "Amazing ability—be careful, Sakura."

Panic spread amongst the Sand Ninjas guarding the room—they could see their comrades fell lifeless on the ground one by one yet they couldn't see the one responsible for it at all.

Gaara stood up from his chair—he looked exceptionally angry. He formed a hand-seal, but before he could activate his intended Jutsu, one of the Shadow Cloud members that guarded the Raikage suddenly dashed towards a certain direction.

He spun around, and then used the momentum created from that spin to launch a spinning kick towards a seemingly vacant location inside the room.

-DRAAKKK!-

A sound of fierce impact erupted as his kick inexplicably hit something, although from others' point of view it seemed like he halted his leg mid-air.

Then, something amazing happened. Just right when the Shadow Cloud's member leg stopped, something showed up. A transparent silhouette of a hand suddenly appeared, and then immediately followed by the head, the legs, and finally an entire body.

The transparent silhouette slowly and gradually transformed into a solid body of a person.

It was a young lady with unruly short reddish hair.

…

Hinomuya suddenly stood up from her chair, her face looked stunned.

"Kaede!" she yelled aloud.

The Shadow Cloud member pulled his leg away and jumped backwards, returning to join the rest of his group that stood near the Raikage.

The young lady patted her hand that was used to block the previous kick a few times to calm its shaking, ignoring all the eyes from all people inside the room staring at her. She stood up, glanced at Hinomuya, and then with a smile on her face, she said,

"Well hello there, Raikage-sama."

* * *

-**Streets of Sand**

"What are you talking about?" Naruto said aloud.

Truthfully, Naruto didn't want to engage into such a time-wasting conversation such as this. He wanted to just jump towards the guy and subdue him… with brute force, if necessary. Each second wasted means more and more victims could fall; Naruto clearly didn't want that to happen.

However, there's something about the man standing in front of him that made him wary. Naruto couldn't really explain it well—maybe this feeling was invoked by the guy displaying a Jutsu that could move around the dead to do his bidding—but somehow he could sense that the man in front of him was a really dangerous foe. Perhaps even more, or at the very least comparably dangerous compared to all the foes Naruto has met during his entire career as a Ninja, and he already met a lot of extremely dangerous ones.

That's why Naruto didn't jump at him… _yet_.

"Oh but there're a lot of work involved in order for us to get here, you know," Seto once again ignored Naruto's outburst as he continued his explanation, "We have long since known that the Raikage knew the whereabouts about the person we're after, the person that became the purpose why our group existed in the first place. However, we couldn't move—after all, although the number of our members was quite considerable, we're facing a Hidden Village that one that no one really knows about and even rumored as one of the most powerful. One mistake and it could be our end."

"So when our intelligence tipped us off that the Raikage is about to visit Sand in order to form an alliance due to the instability of situation inside the Village she led, we immediately constructed a plan to kidnap her," Seto continued, "Due to this and that, we decided that we would take her away when she's inside Sand."

"Unfortunately, even though Sand has weakened considerably due to the after-effects of the Legendary War, to attack it directly head-on would still be extremely dangerous for us," he added, "That's why we conducted a lot of things to weaken its defenses as much as we could before we launch our plan."

"That intrusion by an unknown assailants to Sand's territory," Naruto suddenly chimed in, "It was you guys, isn't it?"

Seto shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, of course it was us," he replied casually, "Our Leader thought since the event of Akatsuki, those people from the Sand Council would act like a bunch of paranoid old fools if news about another unknown enemy attacking their territory came up. And they did in the end act like a bunch of paranoid old fools. They ordered the Kazekage to send up a considerable number of Sand Ninjas to guard their borders. Wham!—the defenses on the Sand Village itself got lowered down heavily. It worked pretty nicely."

"…We took out two or three patrolling guards from the border—I then ordered my slimes to take control of their bodies. I _then_ ordered them to sneak in inside the Village—let me tell you _another_ secret of my Jutsu, Uzumaki-san: I could see and hear everything that my slimes victims could see and hear…, pretty fancy huh?"

He smiled.

"Anyway, as I have told you before, I could only control four to five people at once with my Slimes, and although I could tell them to…" he coughed, "Behave…, their intelligence could not be counted on to truly sabotage Sand's defenses from the inside, since you know, their best ability is to growl menacingly," Seto smiled, "Therefore, it is up to Leader's creation to disrupt Sand's defenses in a significant way."

Seto suddenly laughed.

"It's amazing how easy sneaking in someone to a Hidden Village these days, especially if you have some help working from the inside, be that help coming from the living dead or not," he said, "So with the help of Sand Ninjas I took control of, we sneaked in Leader's creation inside the Sand. It's pretty easy because unlike my living dead darlings, Leader's creation actually has intelligence on par to that of a normal human being. _It_ is capable of speaking, moving, and generally acting like a usual run-of-the-mill human—hell, _it_ is probably even smarter than most humans I've seen in my life. With _it_ finally inside Sand's walls, our plan truly began."

* * *

-**Northern Meeting Building**

"You know this intruder?" Gaara shot a question at Hinomuya without releasing his eyes off from Kaede.

"Unfortunately, yes," Hinomuya responded grimly, "Remember what I told you before about the youngest member of the Shadow Cloud went missing? It is her, Tsukahime Kaede."

Sai immediately noticed the eye motif latched on the intruder's short top was identical as the eye symbol on the masks the Shadow Cloud members wore.

"She possesses many remarkably unique bloodline abilities that allows her to sneak around to all places almost virtually undetected," Hinomuya added, "In fact, she is…… _was_, undoubtedly our most able spy amongst the entire Cloud Village—she's simply unrivalled."

"Thanks for the praise, Raikage-sama," Kaede said as she bowed a little.

"…Although, it is as much a surprise to me as to you to see her here, Kazekage-dono," Hinomuya said again as she looked on Kaede sharply, "…Which bring us to the next point: what _are _you doing here, Kaede?"

Kaede just smiled.

Sakura immediately felt something was off—never mind the fact that it was incredibly impressive for the young lady to be able to sneak in into a room filled with many high-class Ninjas and managed to stay undetected until the very last second… but how would she expect to escape the room afterwards?

She looked positively calm for someone in her situation—moreover, it was by her own action that she blew her presence inside the room, it was her first that killed the Sand Ninjas…… it was as if she deliberately wanted her presence to be known. Why did she do that? Sakura also didn't think that the young lady would be as calm as that if she didn't have a hidden plan to ensure her safety that she thought would be infallible. Plus, she wouldn't dare entering a room filled with so many dangers to her if she didn't have a strong goal to accomplish…

Sakura got a very bad feeling about this. So, while the others focused their attention on the intruder, she hastily scanned the area around in order to reveal that hypothetical hidden plan before everything was too late.

…

"Answer her question, Kaede," the Shadow Cloud member that kicked Kaede before suddenly spoke out—it was the first time any of the Shadow Cloud members actually speaking.

"Hmm… well… how should I put this…" Kaede muttered slowly, "…Let's just say that I want to _borrow_ you for a while, Raikage-sama."

"You intend to kidnap her?" this time it was Sai that spoke out.

"That is such a barbaric way to describe it," Kaede responded as she gave a glance to Sai, "Barbaric, yet ultimately precise."

"Are you the one responsible for what happened to the Sand yesterday?" Gaara shot an icy glare towards Kaede.

"No," Kaede replied coolly, "Although I do happen to know who the real culprit is. She's a personal friend."

Gaara's face turned grim.

As he was about to make his move, Hinomuya suddenly intercepted,

"Wait, Kazekage-dono," she hastily said—she looked directly right at Kaede, "So it's true then—the information about you are now working under the group led by Leaf's Missing Nin, Yakushi Kabuto."

The name came up so unexpectedly sudden both Sakura and Sai, especially Sakura, looked positively stunned. Even Gaara looked somewhat surprised.

Kaede shook her head. She looked kind of appreciative.

"Wow. As expected from Raikage-sama," she said, "Well, I suppose it's no use trying to hide it any longer. Yeah, I now am a part of a group led by Kabuto-sama."

Sakura and Sai looked at each other, both their expressions unfathomable.

"What does Yakushi Kabuto want with me?" Hinomuya said.

"Oh I am sure you know what he wants already, Raikage-sama," Kaede said casually—a statement that somehow caused Hinomuya's expression to change, "Regardless, even if you really don't know, you will eventually when you meet with him face to face."

"Are you aware…" Gaara said sharply, "That by doing this, not only you incur the wrath of Cloud, but also Sand, and Leaf as well? No matter how strong your group really is, are you really prepared to face the strength and resources of _three_ Hidden Villages at the same time?"

Kaede turned her eyes to Gaara.

"Don't ask me that question, Sir," she replied politely, "I am simply just following Leader's command. Perhaps he already had plans for that too—I don't know. I guess we'll just cross that bridge when the time comes."

"But let's not talk about 'what will happen' when there's something a lot more important to be done right now," she gazed back at Hinomuya, "Sorry Raikage-sama, but you'll have to come with me. Can't let all the sacrifices made by my friends out there…" she nodded to the direction of one of the windows, "To become vain, you know."

"This is rich," Hinomuya let out a mocking laugh, "…All this time, after you went missing from our Village, after you betrayed us to join that man, here you are coming back in front of me saying that you want to kidnap me?"

Hinomuya sat back on her chair, her hands crossed on her chest.

"Tell me, how you intend to do that?" she said, "You are now facing not only _four_ Shadow Cloud members, two Leaf Jounins, a number of elite Sand Ninjas, but also me and the Kazekage. Your tricks won't do you any good here, Kaede—these four and also I have seen all of your Jutsus more than enough when you're still with us to know how to counter them. You will not be able to escape from this room."

Kaede shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, that's certainly true—there is no way I could win against all of you guys in a straight-forward battle—that'd be total suicide," she said casually, "But let me tell you two things: first—surely you don't expect me not to learn new, fancy tricks since the time I left Cloud? My, you are the last person I'd expect to underestimate me, Raikage-sama."

She laughed a little when she saw the expression on Hinomuya's face, before continuing,

"Second: am I really the kind of person that would so willingly jump into danger unprepared like some suicidal psycho? I thought you know me better than that, _Hinomuya-san_."

-BRAK!-

Suddenly, the entrance door to the meeting room was violently opened from outside.

…And someone was standing there.

* * *

-**Streets of Sand**

"If you must know, Uzumaki-san, _it_ was also responsible for the spread of the worms. You know, the cute little things that controls the mind of their hosts, changing them into savage beasts. Similar to my slimes, but much more effective and ever-lasting in their effects," Seto said.

"What?" Naruto said.

"Yes, well—even if we don't seem like the type, we _do_ care about the welfare of our own members, you know," Seto continued to speak, "Even after a considerable amount of Sand's personnel have been shifted to guard Sand's borders, the Kazekage is not that fool of a person to just simply forget about the security in the Village he led, even if he is indeed surrounded by a bunch of old fools. It is not impossible to achieve success, but should we launch a direct head-on attack against the Sand, we will have much more casualties on our side… much more than what are necessary."

"…So our Leader decided to put his latest, and quite possibly greatest, masterpiece to the test. _It_ is a marvelous thing, Uzumaki-san—marvelous, and exceptionally frightening. Besides controlling the worms—if you even have the slightest idea of what _it_ is capable of…… " he mused, "Without enough preparation, not even the strongest of Ninjas had any chance whatsoever in front of _it_."

* * *

-**Northern Meeting Building**

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes.

Really, she couldn't believe her eyes.

……It must be just her imagination.

But it couldn't be.

Because it was as real as it could be.

…The person that was standing on the entrance to the meeting room was none other than the girl she saw earlier today on the way from the entrance to this building. The girl Naruto saved yesterday, the girl that disappeared when she examined the worms' victims yesterday…

She was Eri.

…B…but…

How could it possible for her to be here? What's she doing here of all places in the whole world?

…Eri just stood there, motionless. She cast her eyes around to scan the entire room and all the people inside. Her eyes did not stop at Sakura, as if she did not even willing to recognize, or care, that Sakura was there, standing in the room.

"Be careful, Sakura," Sai immediately said to the shocked Sakura as he took a battle stance, "I don't understand it either, but she is dangerous."

Sakura didn't even look like she was listening to him.

…

"What is this?" Gaara said aloud when he saw Eri, "What mockery is this?"

"Oh this is not by any means a mockery, Kazekage-san," Kaede said coolly, "She is one of our most prized possessions, the masterpiece creation of our Leader."

"_Created_?" Sakura said inside her mind as her eyes jumped to Kaede, "_What did she mean by that_?"

"Enough talk," Kaede snapped her finger, "Homunculus, if you will."

"_Homunc_…?"

Sakura didn't have any time to gather her thoughts anymore.

Eri opened her mouth wide, and almost immediately a very strong rotten stench escaped from it, filling the room, forcing anyone inside it to reflexively close half their face in disgust with their hand. It was such a strong smell that some of the people inside the room even looked nauseated.

Sakura, however, recognized the stench—it was the same exact stench she smelled back then on the Hospital Examination Room, when she took out the parasitic worm from inside the unconscious Sand Ninja…

"…No way…" Sakura's voice was muffled behind her hand, "It couldn't be…… she…"

Something extraordinarily unbelievable occurred then, enough to make all the eyes inside the room stared unblinkingly in repulsion. From inside Eri's mouth came out three large-size worms, one at a time, with a horrifically disgusting squelching noise as they appeared and landed on the floor near her. The worms squiggled like crazy for a couple of seconds, before emitting some sort of grayish gas from their bodies.

"_Poison_!" Sakura immediately thought.

It was too late to do anything. The worms exuded the gas with so much force from within their bodies that within seconds, it spread throughout every corners of the room, not leaving any vacant spot whatsoever even if it's only an inch.

"Guh!" one of the Shadow Cloud members tried to move towards Eri, but he could only manage to move two steps forward before he helplessly fell on the floor, his body twitching involuntarily all over.

"…W… what is this?" Sai fell on his knees—he still managed to say conscious, but just barely, "…I have… been trained to resist poison of all… kinds… b… but this is…"

Sakura tried to form a hand-seal, but she felt her Chakra for some reason was acting strangely. In fact, it felt like she didn't have any Chakra reserve left inside her body—for some reason, it felt like in just matter of seconds her Chakra just… vanished without a trace.

-Thud-

-Thud-

-Thud-

One by one the Sand Ninjas inside the room fell to floor. The only ones still holding up were Sakura, Sai, Gaara, Hinomuya, and three members of the Shadow Cloud group.

"What…" Hinomuya said slowly—her face looked sickly, "…What is this…?"

"Wonderful, isn't it?" Kaede walked casually towards her, her hands on her hips, "It is a special kind of poison, instilled within the body of the homunculus so that she could use it as commanded. Not only it weakens your body and zaps all of your strength away, it also specifically targets your Chakra lines, destroying your Chakra reserves in only a matter of seconds so that anyone that unfortunate enough to inhale it would not be able to use their Chakra any longer."

Two Shadow Cloud members fell to the ground. Gaara also fell from his seat, though he still managed to render himself conscious.

"…The scary thing is," Kaede continued to speak as she seat comfortably at one of the vacant seats on the table where the alliance signing took place—she lifted her legs up and put it on top the table, "Not only it damages your internal organs to the point where life expectancy is remarkably low if they're not immediately attended to… The poison also damages your Chakra lines in such ways that…"

She banged her hand on the table dramatically.

"After a period of time the damage to your Chakra lines would be irreversible and that person would not be able to form Chakra again for the rest of his life!" she laughed out loud, "Amazing stuff, isn't it? It does not kill you outright, but even if you manage to survive, it still forever incapacitates your ability as a Ninja! What crueler punishment could possibly befall a Ninja other than that?"

"…W…what…?" Sakura muttered slowly as she fought with all of her strength to stay conscious, "…_H_… _how is that_… _poss_…_s_…_sible_…"

-Thud-

Besides her, Sai finally fell to the floor. At the same time, the last member of the Shadow Cloud members could not take the pressure any longer—he too, fell to the floor.

"D…damn it," Hinomuya stuttered—she squint her eyes towards Kaede, "How… come… it… didn't… a..affect…, y… you?"

"Geez… of course I wouldn't be as incredibly stupid as to expose myself to such dangerous substance without drinking the antidote first," Kaede replied casually, "Do you really think that Kabuto-sama would let me out here walking with his homunculus without giving me the antidote to this incredibly dangerous poison, the homunculus' most dangerous weapon? Surely you jest, Hinomuya-san."

"…Dam…n… it…"

-Thud-

She finally fell to the floor, followed immediately by Gaara.

…

Kaede then looked around the room—when she noticed that the last person still conscious was Sakura, she looked somewhat impressed.

"…Haruno Sakura of Konoha, isn't it?" she said, "My, you should have seen the look on Kabuto-sama's face when he learned that you managed not only to trace his worms, but also repel them away with your drugs. I have never seen Leader's face so distraught like that—that was quite an accomplishment you achieved yesterday."

Sakura fell on her knees. She then almost fell on the floor entirely if she's not immediately erecting both her hands to the floor to support her body.

"Leader said the poison works mainly by screwing around a person's Chakra lines…" Kaede added, "I see you still managed to stay conscious because you are still able to regulate a very small portion of Chakra inside your body, even though perhaps ninety nine percent of your Chakra lines should have gone awry by now."

-Clap-

-Clap-

"That requires an obscene amount of concentration, I presume," she said as she clapped her hands, "I guess what Seto said to me before is correct… you must have a truly exceptional ability in Chakra control… Most probably better than me… or for that matter, perhaps even better when compared to all the people I have met in my life."

Kaede lifted her legs off from the table. She stood up, and walked slowly towards Sakura.

She then kneeled in front of her.

"Have a good rest, princess," Kaede said sweetly.

-Thwack-

She hit Sakura's back with her right hand, causing Sakura to finally lost her consciousness and fell helplessly to the floor.

Kaede stood back up.

"Come," she said to Eri, "Now that we have achieved what we came here for, let us escape this place. Even with our men blocking their way, soon all the Sand Ninjas in the Village would eventually come to this building. We must escape before that happens."

Eri nodded. She walked towards the squiggly worms that came from inside her mouth earlier. Surprisingly, she then proceeded to stomp her feet strongly on them one by one, killing them that way.

Kaede approached the unconscious Hinomuya. She then heaved the Raikage up on her back.

"Come," she said.

"Shouldn't we do something about her?" Eri suddenly pointed towards Sakura, "She was able to neutralize the worms yesterday, even though we clearly have confidence that no one should be able to do that. Shouldn't we kill her now? If we let her alive, who knows what kind of trouble she might bring us in the future."

Kaede gazed towards Sakura for a moment.

…

"No, we shouldn't do it," she finally said, "Leader didn't order us to. Besides, what I said about your poison before wasn't a lie—soon, she wouldn't be able to use her Chakra anymore for the rest of her lives. Without her abilities as a Ninja, there is no need for concern that she could become a potential threat to us any longer in the future."

Eri was silent for a second, before nodding.

"Let's go," Kaede said as she jumped out from one of the windows, with Eri followed suit.

* * *

-**Streets of Sand**

Naruto didn't say anything—suddenly, he got a very nasty feeling brewing inside him. It was as if he was missing something urgent, something incredibly important, and now he must be ready to face the ultimate consequences. He didn't do anything as Seto continued to speak,

"Leader tasked his creation to spread the worms to as many Sand denizens as possible, in order to continue weakening Sand's defenses to the point where they no longer pose considerable danger to our group," Seto explained, "The only real effective way to accomplish that was to infect one thing that could reach entire people at the same time—their water supply. So, with a little help from me and many from _its_ own intelligence and quick thinking, Leader's creation then managed to infect Sand's water supply with her worms."

Seto suddenly shook his head.

"There where our plan was starting to meet several hiccups," he said, "First of all, our intelligence failed to recognize that Sand has actually _two_ Water Supplies instead of just one. By infecting only one, the worms could not reach as many Sand people as possible. Or course, although we found out about it a little bit too late, it was still supposedly an easily rectifiable problem that could be solved simply by Leader's creation infecting the other Water Supply again—after all, not one Sand people was able to figure out what's wrong with those who were affected. But…"

Seto let out a laugh.

"Turned out someone _did_ able to figuring it out," he said—for some reason, he looked somewhat amused, "Although Sand contacting you Leaf people was not something that we did not expect, we _clearly_ did not expect that one of the people Leaf sent, your gorgeous lady friend, was capable of not only tracing the presence of the worms, but also managed to concoct a counter-drug to kill them and cure their effects. You'd definitely _love_ seeing Leader's face, Uzumaki-san, when he learned that his worms have been defeated by someone _only within a span of a day_."

"But you keep coming today anyway, regardless to the fact that the worms you've spread didn't work out as much as you'd like," Naruto muttered.

Seto shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, what can you say?" he said, "Truthfully, we _are_ somewhat desperate, you know. This is the best and quite possibly _the_ only chance we have in order to take the Raikage with us. So, we have no choice but to move right now regardless to the fact that not everything went according to plan—casualties on our side should be higher, but it is a sacrifice we ready to make in order to accomplish our goals."

"What are you trying to do by kidnapping the Raikage, huh?" Naruto shot a question.

Seto gazed at Naruto for a moment, before speaking,

"Sorry," he smiled, "I think I have divulged too many to you already. I don't think even the spectacular show you showed me when you defeated four of my boys is enough payment for any more information beyond what I have told you."

"If that's what you want," Naruto moved a step forward, "Then I'll subdue you right now and force that information out of your own mouth."

Seto looked amused.

"…It's not that I mind, Uzumaki-san," he said, "In fact, I have been looking for a chance to fight you for a long time—I simply want to taste with my own fist just how strong the person our Leader often talked about. But really…"

"But what?" Naruto snapped.

"Although I am not necessarily one hundred percent sure that I will be able to defeat you in a fight," Seto smiled, "I _am_ at the very least confident enough to say that even if you defeat me, your victory will not come easily. It'll take a considerable amount of time for us to determine the winner if we really are going to fight with each other. Unfortunately, this is enemy territory, and no matter how tempting, it is very unwise for me to stay here any longer than what's necessary. To put it simply: I just don't have enough time to fight with you."

He cast a meaningful look towards Naruto.

"Of course, that applies to you too, Uzumaki-san," he said.

"Don't talk nonsense," Naruto retorted back, "I have all the time I need in the world to defeat you here and now."

"Have you really?" Seto raised one of his eyebrows, "Well, I suppose you do, that is, if you don't care about the fate of your comrades at all."

Naruto looked shocked.

"Your comrades stayed behind at the building where the Kazekage and Raikage were, right?" Seto said casually, "Where do you think our main focus for today is anyway? Where is the place do you think we will use our greatest weapon for this attack to? I assure you, the fact that the place was guarded by numerous highly capable Ninjas shouldn't make you relax, Uzumaki-san: they all mean nothing in the face of our Leader's creation."

"You are bluffing," Naruto replied—though he surprised himself when he realized he didn't sound too convincing at all.

Flashes of Sakura's face immediately occupied his mind.

"Am I really?" Seto looked amused, "Would you think I am still bluffing when I tell you that your comrades are in great danger right now? In fact, I am willing to bet that now your comrades are all lying on the floor, helpless, while waiting the inevitable fate of their deaths if no one comes to their rescue soon. I am willing to bet on it—are you willing to bet on it too, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto hesitated.

…

……

"Damn it!" Naruto finally said as he suddenly dashed towards Seto.

However, he didn't do anything to him—instead, he ran past him, and bolted straight to the direction of the Northern Event Building as fast as his legs could carry him.

Seto smiled.

…

-Drep!-

Someone suddenly landed near him, though it didn't faze him even for a bit.

"How're things going?" he asked to the person that just arrived.

"We have news that Kaede-san and the homunculus have managed to achieve our primary objectives," the person replied, "Although we are suffering from more casualties than we first anticipated. Two Sand Ninjas, in particular, caused us more trouble than any others: one is a Puppet Master and the other one uses an extremely big fan as her weapon. We have lost many men to these two."

"Prepare to move out," Seto said, "However, do not order our men who are still in any fight to withdraw. Let them continue their fighting—we need them to stall the Sand Ninjas as long as possible so that the rest of us could escape unharmed."

"Understood," the person nodded.

They both jumped away, and a second later vanished from sight.

* * *

-**Northern Meeting Building**

"_Damn it_!"

"_Damn it_!"

"_Damn it_!"

That was all Naruto could say as he approached the building where he left Sakura and Sai. The journey back to this place took longer than he would like—he was attacked numerous times during the trip by people he did not recognize… he thought that they must be a part of the group that invaded Sand today.

The troublesome thing was, he couldn't forcefully escape from them, since they all looked so viciously determined not to let him return to the building. He defeated them all, but thanks to their attack it perhaps took thrice longer to reach the building as he originally intended.

…

When he finally arrived, he didn't have any time to go through the front door and through the stairs—the meeting took place in the third floor so Naruto immediately transferred some Chakra towards his legs and ran towards the outer walls. Like a spider, he ran on the walls to reach the windows on the third floor, where he made entry to the room where the alliance signing took place.

What he saw inside the room surprised him.

He saw to his horror that the guy he met before didn't lie after all—all the people inside the room somehow were lying unconscious on the floor, and amongst them was…

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled aloud as soon as he saw Sakura lying on the floor near the center of the room.

His mind was filled with fear about her safety that he completely blocked out anything else. He immediately kneeled right besides her. He lifted her head up with his hand.

"Sakura-chan!" he yelled out in panic, "Sakura-chan!"

She wasn't responding. Aside from soft breathing from her chest, she didn't even move for one bit. Her face looked incredibly pale, like she was infected with some sort of terrible disease.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled out again.

Suddenly, a voice spoke out,

"When it comes to her," the voice said calmly, "You always act so careless, Naruto. That's a stupid thing to do."

It was a familiar voice, and it came so extremely unexpected that it immediately sent shivers down his spine.

Before he could react, someone already moved behind his back with incredible speed and thrust a needle towards the lower part of his back neck.

-Stab-

"…Wh… wha…"

It was just a soft stab, but the effect was obvious. Naruto's vision was blurring—he could feel his energy losing away. His entire body immediately felt numb, and his consciousness slipping away incredibly fast.

He didn't have time to turn around to see the one that attacked him, before he finally fell unconscious on top of Sakura.

…

……

Standing there right next to Naruto and Sakura, was one of the members of the Shadow Cloud.

He gazed down at both of them.

"…It seems like the plan works out nicely," a voice suddenly spoke out.

The Shadow Cloud member glanced back—there, three Shadow Cloud members that were supposed to be unconscious because of Eri's poison inexplicably stood so casually near the seat where Hinomuya previously sat. They appeared to be just fine.

"Yeah," the one that attacked Naruto responded brusquely, "As expected, Kabuto attacked today."

"Hm," one of the members replied shortly as he took off his mask. He was a middle-aged man, with a stunningly enchanting silvery hair that contrasted so distinctively with a large scar streaking across his left cheek that made his face looked so intimidating, "...It is still a hard thing to believe though, that that young man was able to construct a homunculus, an artificial human being. Very impressive. If only we haven't received the sample of the poison from _the rat_ beforehand so that we could concoct antidotes, we wouldn't be able to stand like this right now."

He approached Naruto and kneeled next to him.

"Is this the Jinchuuriki with the Kyuubi sealed inside?" he said.

"Yes," said the one that attacked Naruto, "Yes, he is: Uzumaki Naruto."

The man with the silver hair laughed.

"It all went according to your plan huh? I must say that I am impressed," he looked both amused and pleased at the same time, "You!" he pointed to one of the Shadow Cloud members near Hinomuya's seat—"Bring this Uzumaki Naruto over here to the pre-determined place. Be extremely careful not to let any Sand people sees you—kill any witnesses if you must."

"Yes, Raikage-sama," the Shadow Cloud member answered shortly.

He approached Naruto and lifted the unconscious blond Jounin up on his back.

-Poof!-

He then vanished with Naruto behind a white cloud of smoke.

"You," the man with the silver hair pointed his finger to the last Shadow Cloud member, "Go to the rest of the Shadow Cloud members in our temporary hideout. Track the signals implanted in Hinomuya to find Yakushi Kabuto's lair. Eradicate them all without mercy… although on second thought; if possible, keep the homunculus alive—any information derived from it could prove to be useful for Cloud."

"Very well, Raikage-sama," the member responded briskly and -Poof!-, a second later he too vanished behind a white cloud of smoke.

As soon as that one person disappeared, suddenly four people appeared inside the room. Judging by the clothes they wore, they're not Sand people. In fact, they're wearing the same exact uniform just like the Shadow Cloud people, complete with their own masks

The man with the silver hair approached them, and said,

"I am sorry," he said, "But your sacrifices will not be forgotten. Consider it an honor for you to be able to wear the uniform of Shadow Cloud group, even if it's only for a short while."

The four people nodded at the same time, and then they took something out from their pockets. It was a vial filled with yellowish liquid. They unceremoniously took the vials at the same time to their mouth, and drank the liquid inside.

It took only a couple of seconds, but those four immediately collapsed onto the ground. They were alive no more.

The man with the silver hair kneeled and patted one of the men that just died.

"Now then," he stood back up, "I don't care about the others, but we can't have the Kazekage dying just yet. Let me get the honor of administering the antidote for him."

He casually walked towards the unconscious Gaara. He took out a vial filled with bluish liquid from the small bag attached on his left leg, before kneeling right next to Gaara. He then opened Gaara's mouth and forcefully made Gaara drink the liquid on the vial.

"…There," the man with the silver hair stood back up, "That should neutralize the poison inside his body. It'll be a while before he wakes up, though."

He glanced back to the one that attacked Naruto before, and to his surprise, he saw that the Shadow Cloud member was doing the same exact thing with the pink-haired Kunoichi. He poured the same bluish liquid down on her mouth.

"…Compassion?" the man with silver hair commented, "That is something I didn't expect to see coming from you."

The Shadow Cloud member didn't say anything as he stood back up.

The man with silver hair took out the alliance agreement Gaara and Hinomuya previously signed—he looked amused.

"Hmm," he muttered, "Since the one signing this agreement is not me,_ the real Raikage_, I suppose the deal should not be counted, then. Good bye."

He touched the paper with the tip of his index finger. Inexplicably, a fire suddenly appeared on the spot where he touched the paper—the fire spread quickly, turning the paper into black ashes in a matter of seconds. He then unceremoniously brushed off the ashes from his hand, before turning to the Shadow Cloud member, and said,

"Come," he said, "We need to get out before the Sand people comes here."

The Shadow Cloud member took off his mask, and dropped it down near Sakura. He then looked at the man with the silver hair.

"Alright," Sasuke replied calmly, "Let's go."

**-TO BE CONTINUED-**

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* * *

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**PS: **There's an extra scene added at the end that was not originally there on the original version of this chapter. It's the scene where four people showed up and then they killed themselves by drinking the yellowish liquid.


	7. Seventh Episode

-The all-important spot for the main lead, for now, is going to be taken by Sakura. In fact… for reasons I cannot yet divulge right now, Naruto _may_ not appear for a little while. What happens to him, Sasuke, Kabuto, as well as all the supporting characters after the last chapter will be explained later on…

-Thank you for all the kind reviews, comments, and feedbacks (55 reviews, 8.118 hits, 2 C2s, 27 Favorites, and 66 Alerts, with readers varying in nationalities from USA to Puerto Rico to Ireland… not bad for my very first Naruto fan-fiction.)

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

**

* * *

  
**

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

-Seventh Episode-

* * *

"_Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love_."-**George Eliot**

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* * *

  
**

At first, there was only darkness.

And then, came after that, a blur.

After that, shapes slowly began to take form, and objects began to solidify.

…

The Konoha pink-haired Kunoichi's eyelids opened slowly, allowing the world that was in front of her to come into view.

The first thing she saw was a white ceiling; a pure, white ceiling.

She didn't care about it initially though. She didn't even care about the place she's in right now. Instinctively, the very first thing that came up in her thoughts was a question: "_What happened_?"

And that question suddenly brought forth intense pain assaulting her head. It appeared with such intensity that she reeled in with her head held with both her hands, her vision became blurry for a couple of seconds. Her body suddenly felt horribly numb—like she just lost control of it all of a sudden.

A veteran Kunoichi, Sakura had already experienced a lot of things—things normal people just wouldn't be able to handle no matter what—but this marked the first time she ever felt this kind of sensation: intense pressuring pain that could make her head burst apart.

…

…Fortunately for her this time, all things must come to an end; as time gradually moved forward, so too, the pain in her head that went along with it. It wasn't an enjoyable experience at the slightest: she was breathing heavily, her heart-beat literally went up like crazy, and her body was sweating profusely.

Years as experienced Medical Ninja didn't prepare her for that kind of punishment.

…It took some time, but everything finally went back to normal.

She lifted her head up.

She turned her head around, staring at her surroundings, to get an idea about her location right now.

She didn't realize it at first, but it appeared like she's now lying on top of a hospital bed. Some part of her body were bandaged, and it was obvious that someone took care of her medically, as she could feel strands of medical Chakra circulating her body—it's not something that most people could do, sensing that kind of thing, but she could always do it very easily.

She didn't recognize the room around her. Her first spur of the moment guess said that she's in Sand Hospital, but she quickly realized most probably that just wasn't the case at all. She's been inside many rooms inside Sand Hospital, and she's never seen a room similar like this.

…In fact, she felt a peculiar sensation she couldn't exactly describe what when her eyes scanned the entire room. Something just felt… off, for some reason.

The room itself was quite unusual in that besides the bed and one particularly peculiar solitary wooden chair situated next to it, the place was practically empty with no furniture whatsoever decorating its insides. There wasn't even a lamp on the ceiling, and the room didn't have any windows. There wasn't any paintings or decorations too in the walls—in fact, they're painted with such a white it gave off a strange feeling that maybe, just maybe, there're not even any walls there.

Only one wooden door installed at the exact opposite of the bed Sakura's in right now, and that's it—nothing else. The room, for some reason, gave out a very strong surreal sensation for her.

…

"_Where_……_ am I_?" a question shot off inside her mind, "…_What_…_happened_…?"

Thankfully, this time as the questions were born the previous pain did not come also. Although her head felt somewhat dizzy and there's a stinging sound ringing in her ears, it was a sensation much more tolerable compared to the previous experience, allowing her to this time really focused in her thoughts.

…The last thing she remembered was that she was inside the room where the alliance treaty between Sand and Cloud took place. And then something happened outside… and then Naruto checked it out while she and Sai stayed behind to protect the Kages…

And then she remembered the room itself was invaded by the enemy. One was, as the Raikage mentioned, a former Shadow Cloud member, a highly skilled Kunoichi gifted with unbelievable stealth abilities, and the other was…

…Sakura shivered involuntarily as her memory brought forth a face she couldn't possibly expect to show up. The little girl that Naruto saved… turned out she was… _something_ else entirely.

The unexpected enemy then unleashed a truly frightening poison gas said to be able to not only potentially kill the victims, but also destroying their Chakra lines, forever render them the inability to use Jutsus. She remembered that she was the last one that managed to stay conscious, before that Kunoichi approached her, whispered something to her…, and then knocked her out cold.

…

How could she possibly survive right now? Did someone help her back then? _How_?

…And what happened to everybody else? To the Raikage? To Gaara? To Sai?

……to Naruto…?

…

"Ugh," she winced as a jolt of pain suddenly announced itself briefly from her left rib.

If what the enemy Kunoichi said was true—and Sakura couldn't fathom any possible reason why she might have not telling the truth—that the poison was very dangerous, the very fact that she's still alive right now clearly suggested that someone—she didn't have a clue who or _why_—administered some sort of treatment for her, maybe an antidote of some sort. She could feel her Chakra lines inside her body gradually healed themselves, albeit the effect of the poison still quite profound—it may take some time before she could use any Chakra-manipulating Jutsus again.

…Regardless, she thought, it would be a waste of time to just stay here in the bed. She needed answers, and for that she needed to move—she couldn't just stay in one spot and expect all the answers would come rushing towards her.

When she tried to move her body to get down from the bed, however, something happened that made her stopping her movements. She looked forward, her eyes staring unflinchingly.

The only door to the room was opened, and someone was coming from outside.

* * *

It was someone that she, in all honesty, did not expect at all to see this quickly at all.

A familiar face, yes—a familiar face that somehow could always make her feel comfortable and secure, a familiar face that somehow had that magical ability to ensure her that no matter what kind of difficulties or trials ahead, everything would turn out okay in the end.

But she didn't expect to see the person in question so fast. She was kind of surprised.

…

"Hi, Sakura-chan," Naruto said shortly, accompanied with that very particular grin of his.

"…Naruto?" was the reply coming from Sakura—her mouth opened a bit out of surprise.

The one opening the door was indeed none other than the blonde Jounin. He just smiled at hearing Sakura's surprised response as he closed the door behind him gently.

Then, he walked slowly towards the bed where Sakura was. He pulled the solitary chair next to it, before promptly sat there.

All the while Sakura was looking at him, her eyes unblinking. Whatever it was she's thinking before apparently just gone out from her mind right now due to Naruto's unexpected arrival. However, she did not hide the fact that she was terribly happy to see that at the very least, regardless of what happened in the Sand, Naruto was not harmed in the process. Her face, albeit looked somewhat puzzled, was positively glowing.

She cancelled her intention to get down from the bed, and returned to her original position. Her intention right now was obvious: she didn't waste any time shooting off questions.

"Naruto!" she said, looking extremely relieved,"Thank goodness you're alright!"

Naruto didn't say anything. The only thing he did was staring at Sakura like she was the most beautiful thing in the world, and he smiled.

"What happened?" Sakura immediately added—her thoughts were spinning around with a lot of things she didn't really notice the solemnity in Naruto's eyes as he gazed at her, "Is everybody alright? What about Sai? Or Gaara? What about the Kazekage? Oh, and Naruto!" she talked very fast, like she couldn't stop the words that poured down from her brain to her mouth, "The girl… the girl that you saved the first day! Eri! She's…she's…"

Sakura didn't know who or _what_ that young girl was.

"…She's in cohort with the enemy!" she settled with that in the end, "She's very dangerous! It was because of her that… that the enemy managed to break through our defenses! She's also the one's responsible for spreading all of those worms! Naruto, I…"

…

She stopped abruptly.

It was because she just realized something.

She realized that Naruto wasn't talking, or responding, to her at all. Even more, he was staring at her in such a way that… caused her heart to start bumping uncontrollably. His cerulean blue eyes… there was something very different in them…what was it?

Calmness?

Serenity?

Tranquility…?

His expression was nothing like Sakura ever seen before. It just… wasn't like him.

It made her feel… strange.

"Naruto?" she said hesitantly, unsure about his unusual behavior, "…Are you okay?"

Naruto's expression suddenly changed. Much to Sakura's great surprise, he abruptly moved forward, grabbed her hands, and pulled her into a deep hug.

…!!!

"_W…what_?" Sakura muttered inside her mind, "…_W_…_what_…?"

She was so shocked beyond words she couldn't do, or say anything.

Her mind, her body, her ability to think—all were frozen. She could only feel her face blushing furiously and her heart thumping like crazy. Clearly, it was something that Sakura didn't expect at all, for Naruto to just hug her so tightly like that all of a sudden.

Under normal circumstances, she would without a doubt send Naruto flying if he ever dared trying to do something like this to her…

…But now, she couldn't do it.

For some reason, she just, couldn't do it. She was surprised to find that she didn't reject his hug. She was surprised that she allowed him to hug her like that, to pull her in into his embrace.

Perhaps it's just the way he hugged her. Perhaps it's just the way she could hear him breathing so closely, how she could feel his hair caressing her face, and how she could feel his heart beating so peacefully.

…

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said quietly—only a whisper, yet one that was filled with so much emotion behind it Sakura could feel her heart was shaking because of it, "…Thank you."

"What?" Sakura was surprised.

Naruto let go of the hug—he's now staring at her, staring at her with that eyes of his in a way he had never stared at her before. His hands were still holding Sakura's.

"Thank you," he said, a smile on his face, "…Thank you… for everything."

Suddenly, Sakura felt scared.

For some reason, suddenly a feeling of fear overwhelmed her, overtook her mind. She felt scared—terrified.

"W…what…" she said, "What do you mean, Naruto?"

Naruto released Sakura's hands from his.

He stood up, still looking at her.

"…I am sorry," he said quietly, "In the end, I am unable to keep my promise to you. I am unable to bring you the happiness I promised to bring you. I am powerless to bring the one you loved the most back to you, Sakura-chan… and for that, I apologize."

_W_…_wait, wait, wait, wait, wait_! Sakura mused inside her head, her expression was terrified,

What is this? Why is he speaking like that? What's going on? Why is he acting so strange? It is as if he wants to…

…It is as if he wants to…

He wants to…

…to say _goodbye_…

……without ever coming back…

…

N…no…

…N…no, he's not…

…He's not…

He won't…

…He _can't_…

…

He turned his back on her, and started to walk slowly to the door where he came in before.

"Wait, Naruto!" she yelled, "What are you doing? Why are you saying such strange stuff like that? Hey, Naruto!"

He didn't respond—he just continued to walk, very slowly, towards the door.

"HEY, STOP!" Sakura said—she was about to get down from the bed, when she suddenly found to her horror that she couldn't move. She couldn't move any part of her body at all. They didn't respond to her, they didn't want to listen to her wishes. They didn't care about the tears, tears that strolled down on her cheeks right now—tears of frustration because she wanted so badly to stop Naruto moving towards the door, because she wanted so badly to pull his hand with hers; anything, to keep him here with her, to keep him from moving away…

…And yet, she couldn't move.

She couldn't move…

…

"NARUTO!" she screamed, "DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" she felt so scared, so terrified, "DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE! DON'T YOU _DARE_ LEAVING ME ALONE!"

But he didn't stop.

He kept on walking.

She knew, just from looking at his back—she just knew that he wanted nothing more than to just stay with her, to be together with her in the room. She knew it so badly it was painful to watch him from behind. But why…, even so…, why… why did he keep moving away? Why did he keep walking farther and farther away from her?

"…NARUTO!"

Naruto reached the door.

He erected his hand towards the door's handle.

"W…Why… are you doing this?" Sakura couldn't help it anymore—she was so scared, so terrified, her voice was shaking uncontrollably. She always thought she's a strong person, a person that could always triumph over obstacles no matter what, a person that could always be victorious no matter what difficulties that may come in her way…

And yet, she felt so powerless right now. So scared, so powerless…

"…Y…you…" she said, tears flowing down from her eyes, "You can't do this to me, Naruto... You can't just… go away so suddenly like this… you can't…"

Naruto's hand touched the handle.

He twisted it, and pulled the door open.

Sakura could do nothing but to watch him; watching him opening the door so slowly—so painfully.

Then, suddenly Naruto turned around. He gazed directly at Sakura.

…He was crying too.

Only difference was, he was smiling.

He was crying, and smiling at the same time.

"…_Goodbye_, Sakura-chan," he said quietly.

…He walked through the door, and closed it behind him.

The world around her suddenly collapsed, before it all went black.

…

And that's exactly when Sakura opened her eyes.

* * *

-**Sand Hospital**

This time, she knew the place.

This time, as soon as she gazed towards the white ceiling, she knew the place.

She turned her face around, to look at her surroundings, to confirm things.

There's no mistaking it—she's right now inside a room in Sand Hospital. She knew this, because she had worked in some similar-looking rooms before to heal injured Sand Ninjas.

Someone lied her down on a hospital bed near the window, and from the way how her entire body was neatly covered in comfortable blanket, that someone clearly took delicate care of her. Even the window was opened in a way that it wouldn't allow to many blowing winds coming inside the room yet at the same time accommodating to the refreshing light of the sun.

Someone changed her clothes too. She wore a white patient dress instead of her usual Kunoichi uniform.

She stayed silent for a moment, before she buried her face on her hands.

She breathed rapidly. Her face was covered with sweat.

…

"…_What was that_…?" she thought, "..._A dream_…?"

Her chest then felt a sharp pang of pain.

…It was all felt very real.

The blonde Ninja, came into her, saying goodbye…

…It all felt _really_ real that it _hurts_.

…

"Naruto…" she muttered quietly, her right hand now grasping her chest tightly.

She felt very sore throughout her body, like she was just straight awake from a very deep slumber. She quickly remembered what happened before she lost consciousness—everything that happened rapidly flashed inside her mind, like a fast-forwarded movie reel.

To her surprise, however, she could feel her Chakra circulating inside her body. She couldn't understand how it was possible, remembering the words of that intruder just before she knocked her out unconscious… but she felt immensely glad nevertheless. However, her gladness didn't last long.

Because she knew that the very reason why she was lying on the hospital bed; the very reason why she was here dressed up in patient's robe instead of her Kunoichi attire was something went wrong back during the alliance agreement.

Something went really wrong, and now she didn't have a clue about not only the overall situation… most importantly, she also didn't know about the fate of her team-mates, both Naruto and Sai.

Before she could move down from the bed, however, someone suddenly opened the door to the room. She was surprised because of it she almost jumped out from her bed.

She half-heartedly expected that it was Naruto who would show up from behind the door. But turned out, in the end, it was someone she didn't clearly expect. Someone she didn't understand the reason behind her being here.

…

"…Oh," the person exclaimed softly as she entered the room. She looked pleasantly surprised to see that Sakura has regained consciousness. On her right hand, she carried a small set of fresh flower, "You're finally awake!" she said happily, "…Thank goodness."

Sakura was so surprised that for a moment she couldn't think of something to say. Because in front of her right now, stood the very last person she expected to be here in Sand Hospital, inside the same room with her. She couldn't understand why the person could be here, and for what reason.

"Thank goodness, Haruno-san…" Hinata said breathlessly, "Thank goodness…"

* * *

"So…" Sakura said dejectedly, "…I have been unconscious for quite some time?"

"Yes," Hinata replied. The Hyuuga heir was sitting right next to Sakura. The flower she carried before has been safely placed on a small vase on top of the table right next to Sakura's bed, "…Thirteen days, to be exact, based on what the Sand people told us. Almost two weeks."

"Ah…" Sakura mumbled—the fact that Hinata was here clearly suggested that: it took around three days to travel from Leaf to Sand. For Hinata to be able to be here in front of her, she must have fallen unconscious for at least three days, at the bare minimum. She was surprised that she was unconscious for that long.

The effect of the poison exhaled by that… that _thing_…… must have been very tremendous, indeed, and although she was obviously very relieved that she survived it, she couldn't help but to wonder _how_ she could survive in the first place.

She fell silent for a moment. She was so surprised by Hinata's—of all people—sudden appearance that for a moment the urgency of the situation seemed to have slipped off from her mind. But she didn't want to waste any more time—she needed someone to tell her about the overall situation, and as a fellow Konoha comrade that suddenly appeared in front of her, Hinata's a good place to start as any.

…

"Sorry, Hinata," Sakura said, "...But why are you here? For how long have you been here?"

Hinata shifted a little bit in her chair before answering,

"We were sent here by Hokage-sama," she said with a somewhat apprehensive tone, "Me, along with Shikamaru-kun and Kiba-kun. It was as an immediate response to the emergency communiqué sent by Sand… We arrived here around 8 days ago."

"You've been here for more than a week?" Sakura sounded surprised, "…What happened? What's going on?"

"Maybe you are already aware of this, but the Raikage was kidnapped by unknown assailants… and…" Hinata said slowly—it appeared that she was about to say something, but in the end decided not to, "…Injuring and even killing numerous Sand people in the process. Even the Kazekage himself was harmed. Normally, the Leaf wouldn't send any forces if the Sand didn't request any help. However, this time—things were different. Konoha Ninjas had fell victim to the assaults as well, and so…"

"What happened to Naruto?" Sakura immediately jerked out of impatience, "And Sai? And the Gaara-kun…?"

Hinata's face cringed a bit, before she answered,

"The Kazekage himself is safe," she said, "His body, as well as yours, Haruno-san, for some mysterious reason—it seems like someone gave both of you the antidote for the poison you inhaled. Before the poison could do any real damage to either of you, the antidote neutralized it. However…" Hinata paused for a moment, before continuing, "…The poison was so unbelievably strong that even with the antidote, your body still struggled on to cope with its effects for weeks before… you finally awake right now."

"Gaara-kun's already awake?"

"Yes, just around two days ago," Hinata nodded, "He's still not allowed to leave the hospital, though."

"How about the others?" Sakura asked, "Naruto, Sai?"

"Sai-kun… he…" Hinata muttered quietly, "The Sand Medical Team, as soon as they realized that someone has injected an antidote for the poison inside both you and the Kazekage, immediately took action. They took your blood sample and analyzed it to identify the concoction of the antidote, to purposely analyze the characteristics of the antidote so that they could hopefully recreate it. They were successful in creating an antidote from your blood, Haruno-san, but…"

Sakura's heart sank.

She knew what Hinata's going to say next. How could she not? She's arguably the best Medical Kunoichi in Konoha, and part of her job description was to study poisons as well as their antidotes. She knew that there're techniques available that could be used to create antidotes out by analyzing its various characteristics on blood samples injected by it—these techniques were very useful in order to create counter antidotes to poisons concocted by the enemies; surely they have equipped themselves with the proper antidotes before using their poisons against you.

However, these techniques had limitations…

"...It took the Sand's Medical Team around three and a half days to be able to create a similar antidote," it seemed like Hinata already knew that Sakura had known what she's about to say, because her face looked heavy, "But the new antidote they've managed to concoct was not as strong as the antidotes given to you and the Kazekage, Haruno-san. That's why…"

Hinata gulped.

Her face looked pale.

"…Thanks to the new antidote Sai-kun has managed to avoid death," she said slowly, "But the poison has caused too much damage to his Chakra Lines… maybe even to the point of beyond repair. There's a… a very good chance that… Sai-kun may not be able to manipulate or use his Chakra any longer for the rest of his life…"

…

……

Sakura honestly didn't know what to say.

Although she could tell what Hinata was about to say even before she said it, she was shocked beyond belief regardless during the moment of truth. Her mind froze, and her hearts shattered because of the gravity of the situation.

Not being able to use Chakra meant that he would not be able to perform Ninja techniques any longer. Not being able to us Chakra meant that he would not be able to _become_ Ninja any longer…

…It was just too cruel of a punishment……

It may even be worse than death itself…

…

"Last time I saw him, he's still unconscious," Hinata added quickly, "A group of escort and expert Medical Ninjas has taken him back to Konoha around a week ago, since it was agreed that he could receive significantly better treatment there compared to here. It may be risky to move him around, but we have no other choice—we have to give him better treatment as soon as possible," she said, "……If it's not for his body so naturally resistant against poison, they said that most probably he would have been gone already…… It's extremely impressive that he was able to resist the poison's deathly effects for many days without any antidote whatsoever."

"As for you, Haruno-san, since your life signs were stable, we decided to keep you here for medical treatment," she continued, "Actually, one of the main reasons why we were here was also to take care of you during your treatment here. We were told by Hokage-sama himself to stay here until you're awake. We're freed from missions during this period. He's… very concerned for you, Haruno-san."

Hinata's words sounded like so far away from Sakura.

She couldn't believe that the mission she was so enthusiastic to take together with her old group seven team-mates could end up so horribly wrong like this. It's good that Sai's still alive, but what would happen to him when he later must face with the fact that he could no longer use his Chakra?

What would happen to him then?

Did he already regain his consciousness? What would the first thing he thought of when he heard the terrible news?

…

Then, suddenly Sakura noticed Hinata was twitching her interlocked fingers. Her face was staring on the floor too.

For whatever reason, it seemed like she was trying to avoid looking straight at Sakura.

"How about Naruto?" Sakura asked—the response she got from Hinata was not reassuring, to say the least. When she mentioned his name, Hinata jerked slightly. The dream before suddenly reared its ugly head again inside her mind—it caused great uneasiness for her.

…

"Well…" Hinata said finally after a brief awkward moment of her staring at the floor, "…Actually, it was for that very reason that Hokage-sama sent me, Kiba-kun, and Shikamaru-kun in the first place… Brother Neji couldn't come because of missions."

"…"

"We were sent for scouting purposes," Hinata continued, "Both me and Kiba-kun's skills are specifically suited for it. Shikamaru-kun is here to organize the search as well as to assess the overall situation—he has worked with Sand people before, so he also has experience dealing with them. Besides, he volunteered himself to help."

"Scouting…?" Sakura raised one of her eyebrows, "…What for? Are you guys looking for something? What are you all looking for?"

What Hinata said next would become something that served as the basis for the beginning of many events that would forever change Sakura's life. It would serve as the starting point for a chain of events that would determine the shape of her future.

…

"It's… Naruto-kun," Hinata answered timidly, "We're looking for Naruto-kun, Haruno-san. He has been missing for almost two weeks now."

* * *

-**Sand Hospital—Gaara's Room**

The door to the room where Gaara was hospitalized was opened loudly.

Strangely, however, all the people inside the room did not seem surprised by it. In fact, they seemed to have expected it in one way or another.

They were: Temari, Kankurou, the now-awake Gaara that was still lying on top of the hospital bed, Inuzuka Kiba (his usual canine companion, the gigantic white-haired dog Akamaru, was not in the room), and finally Nara Shikamaru.

They didn't appear to be surprised too, when they looked on the person opening the door so rashly. It was Sakura, still wearing her white patient gown—she was immediately followed by a flustered Hinata behind. Sakura was walking a bit awkwardly because she still needed time to readjust her walking stance after sleeping unconscious on a bed for many days.

…

"Ah, Sakura," was the first thing Shikamaru said—he looked relieved, "You've regained your consciousness. You can even walk around—very good. We were all very worried about you because you've been sleeping for almost two weeks straight now."

"Is it true?" Sakura walked straight to him, immediately shooting off questions without beating around the bushes, without even seemingly acknowledging others inside the room, "Is it true that Naruto is missing?"

Shikamaru didn't immediately answer the question.

And the short silence from him gave enough time for Sakura to gather her senses. She immediately realized that there were, after all, other people inside the room, and she was being deliberately rude on ignoring them. She didn't even say anything to Gaara, who had also gone under the same fate as her, and now luckily also managed to regain his consciousness.

"…I…" she flushed, her face pink, "…I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," this time Gaara that spoke—his tone was soft and reassuring, "We're actually talking about it right now. I'm glad that both of us managed to survive the worst. I don't know how we did it, but I'm grateful nonetheless."

Kiba signaled Hinata about something, and she immediately scurried over a nearby chair inside the room next to Sakura. She then tapped Sakura's shoulder gently.

Sakura glanced back at her, noticed the chair, nodded her head a little, and sat there.

"…I reckon you have heard about Sai…?" Shikamaru said solemnly, his face looked grim.

Sakura nodded heavily.

"It's extremely unfortunate," Shikamaru added, "But at the very least he is still alive."

Sakura looked at him despondently.

"…What… exactly happened?" she said, "What… happened to…everything… and… what happened to… Naruto?"

She couldn't help but to think about the dream she had just before. The dream about Naruto suddenly saying his final thanks to her… saying his final good-bye…

Shikamaru glanced at Hinata for a second, and the girl nodded her head slightly.

The one that spoke next, however, was Kankurou,

"The Raikage was taken by the enemy—although for what purpose, we still didn't know yet," he said, "It seemed that it was their ultimate goal after all. In the end, we managed to find her… but unfortunately…"

He suddenly showed a very heavy expression on his face.

"…She was dead," he said gloomily, "Killed."

This surprised Sakura so much she almost jumped out from her chair.

"WHAT?" she said aloud.

"Yes," Kankurou nodded heavily, "When we found her, she's already dead. Based on what Gaara here had told us about what happened on the alliance signing room—it appears that the same group that attacked us was also responsible for what happened on the day before the Raikage's arrival. It was probably them also that murdered the Raikage, once they got what they wanted from her. Her escorts were killed too in the meeting place."

…

_Unbelievable_… Sakura thought inside her mind.

…All of this was very unbelievable……

The leader of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries… was _killed_… just like _that_?

Images of Hinomuya's faces suddenly flashed inside her mind, as well as the extremely shocking revelation of Eri's true identity, and immediately they made her greatly uncomfortable.

…

"The only people inside that room managed to survive are Gaara, you, Haruno-san, and that Sai, and apparently the Raikage as well, although now she's dead," Temari said darkly, "Everyone else was killed, and so we have to wait for either of your three to wake up before we can figure things out about what exactly happened back there."

Shikamaru could tell that Sakura has grown impatient, and so he decided to speak up,

"As for Naruto, Sakura," he said, immediately grabbing her full undivided attention, "…As I am sure Hinata already told you before—it is true that he has been missing since the attack until now. I'm sorry to say that…" he drew a heavy breath, "…Up until now, we haven't had even the foggiest idea about his situation or his whereabouts."

Sakura suddenly felt that the world around her got torn apart…

Little, by little…

…Her feelings were so fraught with worry and concern about her blonde team-mate she couldn't even think straight anymore.

Everything around her just got blurred all of a sudden…

…

"That's why we're here," this time Kiba spoke out, "As soon as we heard from Sand that you and Sai have been greatly injured, and Naruto has gone missing, the Rokudaime immediately arranged for us to go here to help things out. Me and Hinata here," Kiba nodded to Hinata, "We were sent here to help Sand scouting the area for possible clues about the enemies' identity or whereabouts. We have scoured the area around Sand since we got here for quite some time now, and…"

"Did you find anything?" Sakura looked up to him, a bit of hope glinted inside her eyes.

"Yes, but…" Kiba said, "Nothing that can be used. We found a site we believed was used by forces of the enemy as some sort of a base camp before they launched the attack. It was elaborately hidden, using powerful Genjutsus and the like. When we found it—thanks largely to Hinata's Byakugan—The Genjutsus were still active and it took some time to undo them all. However, the enemy was meticulously well-prepared about not leaving any tracks behind. We couldn't find anything that can be used to track their movements whatsoever…"

"…And that's it?" Sakura asked.

Kiba exchanged looks with Shikamaru.

"…No," this time it was Shikamaru's turn, "…We, thanks again to Hinata's Byakugan, have also found another place. Inside the forest that surrounds the desert. It was… a cave of some sort."

"…A cave?"

"Yes," Kiba nodded his head, "…An underground cave, to be exact. We're not entirely sure, but we believed that the cave was once protected by powerful Genjutsus too, to hide its presence from others. We found many peculiar things inside the place—human remains, empty prison cells, as well as various rooms seemingly used by someone to perform……"

He paused a little, his face looked disgusted.

"Inhumane experiments," he finished.

Sakura wasn't entirely sure she's following all this, but one thing caught her attention.

"…What do you mean '_once protected'_?" she asked.

"It means that the Genjutsus were already broken by someone else by the time we found the place," Kankurou spoke out, "The place itself was a mess. There were signs of fierce battles happening there. Every person we found on that place was nothing but corpses, and all documents worth a damn were already taken away by _someone_ or otherwise destroyed. We found nothing there that could give us a significant lead to our situation. Its most significance for us was that the cave was most probably the location where the Raikage was killed, because it was there that we found her body."

"Mysteriously…" Kiba spoke again, "It seemed like there were not just one, but _two_ different groups taking interest on what happened in Sand a few days back. And these two—they weren't good friends, to be sure. Our guess is that they fought with each other, although as for the reason why… unfortunately, we have no idea whatsoever. And in the middle of it, the Raikage, unbelievably, got herself killed in the process. Whoever they may be, it is very obvious that these two groups are _not_ to be underestimated."

"So…" Sakura said dejectedly, "…What happened to Naruto, then?"

She paused a moment, before continuing,

"It's unlikely that he gave chase to the enemy without leaving us a clue or information or anything…" she said, "…So perhaps the enemy—I don't know which one—took him also with them? But for what…? And why…?"

It was obviously a question that nobody had any answer of, because the room was immediately filled with distinct quietness. Nobody could say anything. Nobody didn't have any idea about the situation—and as obviously shown by their expression, they were all frustrated by it. Frustrated that they were in the middle of something that has caused them great grief, but they couldn't understand about it one bit; frustrated about their inability to obtain information, _to know things_.

Even the always seemingly complacent Shikamaru looked somewhat disturbed.

…

……

The room was quiet, until all of a sudden Sakura stood up from her chair.

"Regardless," she said determinedly, "We will still keep looking for Naruto, right? This time, since I have recovered, I will help as well. We can start by exploring that cave you said one more time… maybe we will be able to scour clues that you guys didn't notice before."

All the people inside the room suddenly exchanged looks with one another.

All of their faces showed that there were similar thoughts running inside their mind right now about what Sakura just said, although none of them looked too willing to spill those thoughts directly to Sakura.

In the end, surprisingly, it was Gaara that went forward.

"I apologize, Haruno-san," he said apologetically, his face fraught with sorry, "…But at the moment, we cannot spare additional time or manpower to look for Naruto."

It took a couple of seconds for the pink-haired Kunoichi to fully register Gaara's words inside her brain. When she finally understood, she looked at him with unbelieving eyes.

"…What?" she said, staring at Gaara as if he was crazy, "What did you say?"

"He said," Shikamaru interjected calmly, "That we don't have enough more time or manpower to look for Naruto. I'm sorry to say that… I have to agree with him, Sakura."

"_What_?" Sakura replied sharply—she looked angry; _really _angry, "And _why_ would you say that?"

"The situation has changed," Shikamaru said—still with a carefully modulated calm voice, "We have a crisis on our hand."

"WHAT CRISIS?" Sakura said aloud—she had clearly lost her patience. Hinata almost jumped from the floor because of sheer surprise, although everyone else in the room didn't even flinch; it was like they knew it was coming.

"The Hidden Cloud has declared war on not only Sand, but Leaf as well," Shikamaru replied straight-forwardly, "Soon, we may have the second Great War in our hands."

* * *

What Shikamaru just said was a surprise of such caliber that it completely blindsided Sakura and took her off guard.

Everybody inside the room suddenly turned tense.

…

……

"…What do you mean?" she said slowly, "What are you saying?"

"It is exactly as I said," Shikamaru said calmly, "Hidden Cloud has declared war to both Sand and Leaf."

"Under what pretense?" Sakura said.

"Under the pretense that their Raikage was killed inside our territory, obviously," Gaara interjected in.

"As soon as we found the Raikage," Temari stated, "We immediately sent her body along with some of our finest Ninjas as escorts to the Hidden Cloud. They also brought the corpses of the four Shadow Cloud members that were killed in Sand's Meeting Building. Our men were tasked to explain the overall situation to them, detailing that although to some degree we can be faulted for allowing this kind of situation happening to the Raikage while she was under our protection, we obviously had no intention or any connection whatsoever to the group that killed her in the end."

"Their response wasn't pleasant," Kankurou added grimly, "A few days ago, we received a message from them basically stated that we are to be wholly blamed for the whole situation. They accused us of 'harboring hostile intentions' towards their country, and essentially accusing us of murdering their leader as well. And as such, we must 'pay dearly for our crimes.' The escorts we sent along with the Raikage never returned—we could only assume the worst for their fate."

"And because you, Sai, and Naruto were there, they assumed—well, they accused Leaf also for collaborating with Sand to kill their Raikage," Kiba added, "Thus, they also openly declared war against Leaf as well. We just received the news—and we were as surprised as you are right now."

"But it's ridiculous!" Sakura said defiantly, "Declaring war against two Great Shinobi Countries at the same time for something that they didn't have any proof with?"

"Maybe that was their intention all along in the beginning," Shikamaru said.

Everyone in the room quickly turned their attention to him.

"When I first heard about it," he said, "I—as I am sure you all also—found it rather hard to believe that all of a sudden Cloud offered an alliance with Sand. My suspicion was doubled by the fact that they ignored the Leaf altogether. Surely they did that for a reason? I didn't buy the whole 'let's unite together to fend off future threat' thing they said. Frankly, it's stupid."

He closed his eyes for a second, and then continued,

"There's also the fact that they sent the Raikage personally to Sand to close the deal. Now, it may be just a gesture to show good-will from their side, but I found it rather suspicious nevertheless. They also sent her to us without any proper escort—yes, I know that she was guarded by a group of very powerful Ninjas, the supposedly elite of the elite, but a leader of one of Five Great Shinobi Countries wouldn't normally strut along in other countries' territory with just only four people. Not, unless, you want to purposefully draw attention _from someone else_."

"What?" Kankurou crossed his arm, "Are you saying that they did that on purpose to make that other group tried to attack the Raikage back then? But what made them so sure that the other group wouldn't do it _not_ when the Raikage was in sand _but_ during her journey from Hidden Cloud to Sand? If that was the case, well sucks—but they couldn't blame us."

"They're playing a bet—a dangerous one, but in the end, it paid off," Shikamaru said evenly, "For just one thing, Hidden Cloud and that other group that kidnapped the Raikage had one thing in common: in that they're trying to blame Sand for everything that happened. That's why the other group was bold enough to kidnap the Raikage while she's in here, and that's why, from the stories I have heard—they went to great length to make sure Sand was weakened before they launched their all out attack: the mysterious incursion to the Sand's territory, the worms, the water poisoning…"

_Eri_… Sakura muttered inside her mind, and by the way he looked at her right now, she was sure Gaara thought about the same thing.

"Through some means—probably by implanting a rat inside the group—Hidden Cloud knew about this. And they're trying to capitalize on it. They're trying to put the blame on Sand, and Leaf, so that in the end when something did happen to their Raikage, they could openly declare war on us under the pretense that we're responsible for it. I just couldn't shake the feeling that that was their intention all along."

"B… but didn't it sound too far-fetched?" suddenly Hinata spoke out, and when the eyes of all the people inside the room turned into her, she blushed a little, but continued to speak regardless, "…I mean, to purposefully letting their leader got killed just to get a war on their hands? Um… that sounds too outrageous for me…"

"She's right," Sakura gave a nod of approval, "That's just too crazy. They're trying to make war on Sand and Leaf without a Kage to lead them? That's just too crazy."

Shikamaru smiled.

"Yes," he said, "That's crazy—assuming that the Raikage they sent here was the _real _Raikage after all."

…

What Shikamaru just said turned the room into complete silence, as everyone tried to register that statement into each of their mind.

…

"…_What_?" both Kankurou and Temari said at the same time—they looked positively surprised by this new suggestion from Shikamaru. Clearly, that kind of angle was something they had never considered before in the slightest.

"…You may have a point," Gaara suddenly said thoughtfully, "The Hidden Cloud kept their secrets extremely well that we really didn't have sufficient information about them at all. Also because of the Legendary War, we were so busy trying to recoup from the losses we suffered from it that we just didn't have time to prioritize information gathering from other countries. During that chaotic time, they could very well be instating a new Raikage as their leader secretly, and we didn't know a thing about it. After all, we Kages almost never actually came into contact personally with each other."

Shikamaru nodded.

"That's why Hidden Cloud didn't have to worry about whether the other group managed to kidnap the 'Raikage' or not—or, to be more precise, they _wanted_ the group to be successful so that they could serve their purpose as a beginning trigger for Cloud to declare war on us. Since the Raikage—and most probably, her escorts as well, were nothing but _actors_, even if the group managed to take them away, they wouldn't be able to get anything useful out from them anyway. They're nothing more than just sacrifices required for Cloud to execute its final agenda."

…

The rest of the people inside the room stood silent as Shikamaru and Gaara traded conversations. They're trying to absorb as much information as they could, and then tried to make sense out of it.

Sakura felt a little dizzy by all of the information flying around here, yet at the same time she could feel—she could _just feel_—that everything was connected. Everything was in relation with one another, and somehow she got the feeling that once she could see _it_, once she could see the focal point of everything, then she would be able to get the overall picture.

…

"But to declare war against two Great Shinobi Countries at the same time," Kiba muttered, "That's a pretty big bet to take. No matter how powerful Cloud may think they are, it's a pretty huge risk to wage war against two when you are only one."

"No," Shikamaru shook his head, "There is a wild card in the equation: Hidden Stone."

"Ah…" Kiba muttered.

"Yes," Shikamaru nodded, "Amongst the fiercest of enemies Konoha fought during the last Great War was Hidden Stone. I agree with you that they wouldn't take the huge bet declaring open war against both Leaf and Sand without any proper backup measures, and Hidden Stone may be that backup they require to turning the odds. I assume that although 'officially' we are in peacetime, the sentiments against Konoha as one of its main rival during the last Great War are still there, running rampant throughout the citizens of Hidden Stone. They're agitated. All they need is a someone else to nudge them from behind, and…"

Shikamaru snapped his fingers.

"I say it's quite safe to assume that they got the support from Hidden Stone already, although of course they didn't mention it," he concluded.

"But to incite a second Great War…" Kankurou said heavily, "…What were they thinking?"

"The timing couldn't have been better," Gaara said grimly, "I hate to say it, but because of the severe repercussions of the last Legendary War, Sand is not as strong as it used to be anymore. To some degree, that can be said for Leaf as well. It is the perfect time for them to strike in order to become the dominant force in the world. It is the perfect time for them to attempt their luck on conquering the world under their belt—when their main opponents are still busy recovering from wounds…"

…

……

Sakura suddenly turned her back. However, before she could take a single step, she was stopped by Shikamaru.

"Wait, Sakura," he said sharply, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I don't really understand about all this," she said brusquely, "But it's not important for me at the moment. I need to find Naruto, fast. I'll do it by myself if I have to."

"Don't be so selfish," Shikamaru said bluntly, and just like that the atmosphere inside the room became very tense, "You've heard about the situation. We have received orders from the Hokage to return back to Konoha as soon as you are awake. We have to organize and coordinate with Konoha in how to properly confront Hidden Cloud's war declaration."

"…He's right, Haruno-san," Hinata said with her usual soft-spoken tone. "All the active Jounins were ordered to gather at Konoha as soon as possible. For the moment, we…" her expression looked very painful as she was trying to say the next sentence, "…we must prioritize this first b… before Naruto-kun…"

Sakura didn't say anything for a moment.

She closed her eyes.

"…Are you saying," she said, "That we should _abandon_ Naruto?"

"Nobody said that," Shikamaru immediately replied, "Nobody even _thought_ about that. But we have a bigger situation in our hands right now. We are facing the possibility of a second Great War! As Hinata said, we must prioritize. I am sorry to say, but at the moment, a full-scale global war is a lot more pressing issue for us compared to finding Naruto. We simply just don't have enough time or manpower to deal with anything else at the moment. Right now, we need to focus on what's more important: we need to go back to Konoha."

"Naruto is an exceptionally capable man, Sakura," Kiba jumped in the conversation, "I am sure he's fine. He can take care of himself. Shikamaru and Hinata are correct—we need to put this thing first on top of the list."

Sakura didn't immediately say anything.

She just kept quiet.

…

"…_I am sorry," he said quietly, "In the end, I am unable to keep my promise to you. I am unable to bring you the happiness I promised to bring you. I am powerless to bring the one you loved the most back to you, Sakura-chan… and for that, I apologize."_

…

"…_Goodbye, Sakura-chan," he said quietly._

…

Images of Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, and everyone in the village she considered friends flashed inside her mind.

……

"Sorry… Shikamaru," Sakura said quietly, "You said that we need to prioritize on what is the most important for us. But for me, right now, the most important thing is to find Naruto. I know that I am being selfish in this, but that is honestly what I'm feeling right now. You just have to send my apologies to Kakashi-Sensei and everyone else…"

Shikamaru didn't say anything.

He just stared at Sakura's back with a meaningful expression on his face.

…

Suddenly, he sighed.

"…This is _so troublesome_…" he muttered, "I knew that it will come to this. You are just as hard headed as Naruto is, Sakura."

Sakura glanced back at him questioningly.

"Fine," he said, "As lazy as you guys think I am, save for one time, I have never actually disobeyed orders from my superiors. I guess now it's the time for the next one…"

Sakura now gave him her full attention.

…She appeared like she couldn't believe her own ears.

Shikamaru looked at Kiba and Hinata.

"…So, that's that, then. What do you guys think about this?"

"I'll go back to Konoha to report this new development to Hokage," Kiba answered, "Honestly, Shikamaru, I don't think he will get upset by this. Probably he's already expecting it in the first place, and that's why he sent you instead of some random Jounin here to Sand…"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.

"What about you, Hinata?" he asked the Hyuuga heir.

Hinata didn't immediately answer.

Instead, she gave a meaningful look to Sakura, and then to Kiba, and then back to Sakura, and then to Shikamaru, before finally to Kiba again.

She hesitated.

"…I…" she said nervously.

"Just go with them, Hinata," Kiba finally said to her, smiling. This surprised Hinata so much that for a moment it seemed like her mind just went blank.

"Just go with them," he added, "I know that you are very worried about Naruto too, right? In fact, it's not because of Neji was unavailable that Hokage-sama decided to send you here in the first place—it's because once you heard about what happened here, you immediately volunteered yourself to be sent here, right? I heard that you're pretty persistent back then, too."

"…Ah…" Hinata was blushing furiously.

"So I say, just go and help these two out—your Byakugan will be a tremendous help in finding that stupid guy," Kiba laughed, "Besides, you won't be much use to us back in Konoha if you cannot concentrate because of Naruto!"

"…"

"So, Hinata," Shikamaru said gently, "You're coming with us?"

She kept quiet for a few seconds, before finally nodded her head quietly.

"Excellent," he said happily, "The more the merrier."

He then turned to face Gaara.

"Now, Kazekage-sama," he said, "I won't ask for additional person from your side to help us, since I know you will need all the personnel you can get to face this problem, especially after what happened to you the day before the Raikage came here. However, may I trouble you to provide us for food and rations for our journey? We didn't bring any supplies for us for this kind of travel we're about to embark."

"No problem," Gaara answered, "Take as much supplies as you need."

"Thanks," Shikamaru smiled, "And, oh Sakura…"

…

When he turned to look Sakura, he stopped.

Everyone stopped.

…Because tears were flowing down from her eyes. She cried. She couldn't contain her emotions any longer.

"…Thank you…" she said softly as her tears dropped down to her white patient gown, "…Thank you… everyone…"

Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, Kankurou, Temari, and Gaaza were smiling.

Temari even looked as if she wanted to hug Sakura here and now.

…

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Shikamaru said gently, "Anyway, Sakura—I know that you're anxious to move as soon as possible, but I think it is for our best interest not to depart today. You're just awake from almost two weeks sleep, and you are in no condition to perform strenuous tasks right now—of which, I assure you, will be plenty during our journey. Rest a bit. Besides, we need to prepare the supplies too."

"…Okay," Sakura answered as she wiped off the tears from her face, "Okay, Shikamaru. I understand."

"Come, Haruno-san," Temari immediately ushered herself to Sakura, grabbing her shoulders gently, "Let me take you back to your room. I'll take care of you—don't worry. I give you my personal guarantee that tomorrow, you will be ready for everything!"

"I…I'll help too!" Hinata immediately said.

"No, wait, Hinata," Shikamaru said, "You go with Kiba here to prepare the supplies for tomorrow. Don't worry, I'm sure Sakura will be just fine."

"I… oh…" she looked a bit disappointed, "…okay…"

"Damn—that reminds me, I need to feed Akamaru too," Kiba grumbled.

"Let me help you guys," Kankurou proposed, "I'll take you to our supplies. There's a lot of proper food for your dog too there, so don't worry about it."

"Alright!" Kiba clapped his hands, "Come on, Hinata!"

"Okay," Hinata nodded.

And all five of them went out from Gaara's room, leaving only Shikamaru and Gaara behind.

…

……

"…You're expecting this to happen, yes?" Gaara said to Shikamaru after a few moments of silence between the two.

"Yes," Shikamaru replied shortly, "I'm expecting this to happen. In fact, once I heard that Naruto was missing, and that I'm going to be the one sent to Sand, I knew all along that I won't return back to Konoha before I find that loud bastard. To tell you the truth, once I learned about the overall situation here, I didn't find it too surprising that Cloud suddenly declared war against both Sand and Leaf. However…"

His expression looked deeply troubled.

"You didn't find it surprising, yet you find it troubling?" Gaara asked.

"Extremely," Shikamaru replied, "What I just said earlier before, about Hidden Stone as a wildcard. I meant what I said—they really are a wildcard. Meaning, the Cloud couldn't exactly depend on them one hundred percent as a backup plan that could support their intention of going all out against Leaf and Sand. For all we know, Hidden Stone may not be interested in participating on a second Great War, no matter how tempting the prize is."

"…So you're saying they need another failsafe?" Gaara said, "And that failsafe is…"

"Naruto," Shikamaru said heavily.

…

……

"Ah…" Gaara suddenly understood what Shikamaru's trying to say.

"Yes," Shikamaru muttered, "They need something that can grant them great advantage against both Sand and Leaf should they go on a war with us, which they have decided that they will. And that something is… Naruto. Or rather… the thing _inside_ Naruto."

"The nine-tails…" Gaara said grimly.

"Yes," Shikamaru nodded, "The last of the tail-beasts still exist in this world. The last Super Weapon, if you will. This is what frighten me the most, Kazekage-sama. That someone was using all that happened in Sand two weeks ago as an elaborate means to get their hands to Naruto, the last Jinchuuriki in this world."

He sat down on the chair Sakura used previously.

"We have two groups here…" he said as he lifted his right index and middle fingers to form a V, "One group was responsible for kidnapping the Raikage. I didn't know for what purpose they did it, and to some degree, it bothered me as well. However, for some reason, I don't think that their ultimate purpose has anything to do with Leaf or Sand. In the grander scheme of things, I don't think this group was interested in conquering Sand or Konoha, although they clearly didn't have any qualms on using whatever methods they deemed necessary in order to reach their goal."

He lowered his middle finger.

"And the other group—this what concerns me the most, since their objectives are so great, that they directly influence the well-being of Konoha and Sand—and perhaps even the rest of the world. This group cunningly used the plan concocted by the first group, manipulating the first group in such a way so that the first group unknowingly helped them to reach their goal. This is the more dangerous of the two, and since it is unreasonable to assume that the first group would willingly expose its existence to the second group…"

"You're assuming that there's a connection between the two groups?" Gaara said, "That's why the second group knows about the first group in the first place, and that's why they can create a plan of using the first group for their purpose?"

"That connection could be something… or _someone_," Shikamaru concluded.

"Are you also saying that the Hidden Cloud is that second group?"

"Judging from how they acted, yes," Shikamaru said, "There are too many improbable coincidences here to say otherwise—once you connected all the dots, you can get the whole picture."

Gaara suddenly looked extremely worried.

"But the fact that Hidden Cloud declared a war on us…" he muttered.

"Most probably that means they have succeeded in getting their hands on their failsafe, the power of the Nine-Tails."

"But in order to obtain its power, the Jinchuuriki that serves as its host—Naruto, he must…"

"…Be killed in the process, yes," Shikamaru added grimly.

…

Gaara was at loss for words. He didn't even know what to say anymore.

"My hunches never failed me before, Kazekage-sama," Shikamaru said solemnly, "But as they always said, there's always a first for everything—I pray to God that this time, they will fail me miserably."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	8. Eighth Episode

-Thank you so much for **Uzukun7**, **Gravenimage**, **JovialShogun**, **DrendeSalkash**, **Dinner**, and **Nemesis Enforcer** for their reviews last chapter. Also thank you so very much for all that have read this story, as well as those who were adding it to their alert and/or favorite list. _**Thank you**_.

-If you have a bit of a spare time, **it would be very appreciated if you could** **write a review for this story**.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

**

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A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

-Eighth Episode-

* * *

"_Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction_."—**Antoine de Saint-Exupery**

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-**Konoha**

The news wasn't shocking to Kakashi.

By the time Kiba returned to Konoha, without Sakura, Shikamaru, or Hinata, he knew what he's going to say before he even said the first word.

Truthfully, he expected this to happen all along. And he didn't say anything to Kiba—only a nod, and an order for him to gather all the Jounins into Hokage's Meeting Hall. Beyond telling the information about Sakura's plan to search for Naruto, Kiba didn't say anything anymore too—likewise, he also seemed to have known what Kakashi respond would be before he even said the first word.

Kakashi even wondered perhaps he may have had instinctively chosen the people he sent to Sand that he knew would help Sakura in her situation like this.

…

"…_Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash eh_…" he muttered to himself as Kiba went off to gather around the people that he requested_, "…heh…"_

He smiled.

Although, the smile on his face was fading very quickly once he remembered again the urgency of the situation. Not only Hidden Cloud suddenly declared war against Leaf and Sand—a news that shook all the important people in Konoha—but Naruto was nowhere to be found too. Kakashi could only clench his teeth as he imagined what kind of things he had to face later during his unavoidable meetings with Konoha Council. Most of the members of the Council always regarded Naruto as nothing more than a vessel for the Kyuubi, and since he was the last Jinchuuriki in the world, he's even more regarded as "something valuable", and "something very dangerous." Losing Naruto, for them, would cause a severe blow to Konoha not because him as a person, but because of the _thing_ inside him that could be used as a weapon.

Kakashi always hated those old fools for that.

…Not to mention the fact that the enemy was very dangerous too. He hasn't forgotten yet about his sudden encounter with one of them in his office around two and a half weeks before, and the simple fact that they were able to kidnap the Raikage during the alliance signing even during Sand's protection was very impressive. He was, of course, very worried about Naruto—if he could so choose, he would in a heartbeat drop his Hokage attire and went straight to Sand to help Sakura and the others to find him.

...Also, there's also _that _thing about Naruto—something that only him and Shizune knew, something that he wanted to talk about to both Naruto and Sakura, but never really had the chance… or the courage… to do it. Now, because of the circumstances that happened in the Sand, as much as he hated it for not being able to tell Sakura directly, he didn't have any choice but to entrust the information to Shikamaru so that he could relay it to Sakura once the timing is appropriate—he could trust Shikamaru's judgment as to when the timing's going to be, as well as his promise not to tell the information to _anyone_ other than Sakura.

Shikamaru was surprised when he learned about the information—surprised, and visibly distraught; shocked, even. That information given to him added his resolve considerably to find Naruto as quickly as possible.

Knowing him, Kakashi thought that most probably Shikamaru already told Sakura about it. Kakashi knew for certain that she would hate him for not telling her before about that, when he still had ample opportunities to talk to her face to face… when she would have enough time to ponder about it, to talk about it with Naruto…

But he didn't have time to think about it right now. Not under a situation like this.

…He wondered what Shikamaru and the others are doing right now…

…

……_Damn it_, Kakashi really wanted to go to the Sand himself.

…But he couldn't do it. As the Hokage of Konoha, he couldn't do it. He couldn't just leave the village like that, no matter how much he wanted to do it. How could he, while Konoha has gotten itself involved in a possible next Great War?

There were occasions where Kakashi felt so heavily burdened by his job, by his status right now, that he couldn't help but to dislike it… hated it, even. This was most definitely one of those times.

Also amongst the times he hated his position as Hokage were the times where he had to sit there, face to face, in front of so many men and women that have lost irreplaceable things because of their duty as Konoha Ninjas, or their relation to it.

He _detested_ it.

He could fight toe-to-toe with even the toughest of opponents out there… but to face dejected faces of one of his own men, to face those who have lost something invaluable because of their duties—and believe it, there were a _lot_ of cases like that in the harsh world of Shinobis… he hated it. He hated it because he knew exactly what it's like to lose something very precious, something that took a good chunk of your heart and soul away when they were gone from your hands, gone from your grip. He knew that no amount of consoling words could ever heal such wounds, and now that he's on the other side of the table, now that he's the one that needed to offer such words to those who got wounded…… oftentimes, he just couldn't even find the words to say.

Such was the case when he saw Sai before.

As soon as he awoke from his unconsciousness, a Medical Ninja quickly offered him the information about what happened to him, about the new antidote given to him by the Sand, and about the seriousness of his own condition. Kakashi was there when Sai was given the news.

The expression on Sai's face when he received the information was…

…Quite unbelievable, to say the least…

…

Contrary to what Kakashi somewhat expected, Sai didn't explicitly overreact. In fact, he didn't even seem to be fazed at all. All the while he received the news about his extremely unfortunate situation, his face didn't even flinch one bit. He just kept his stoic expression all the way through, as if the news about his inability to use Chakra ever again didn't affect him even one bit.

Sai even kept that same passive expression when Kakashi requested him to recount all the events that happened in Sand. He mentioned some very interesting things amongst his stories, like the fighting that happened in-between Sand's own citizens and Ninjas, the affected water supply, the worms... everything. Sai explained all that in such details Kakashi could almost feel like he was actually there in the Sand, witnessing all of those events taking place.

There were some aspects of his story that Kakashi found more interesting compared to others. For example: the encounter with the young Kunoichi with the ability to become invisible—which he's sure was the same person that managed to break through to his office back then.

Also very fascinating to him was the emergence of an unexpected, powerful, and extremely dangerous enemy in the form of a young child, whom the enemy curiously called '_Homunculus_'. Sai's face didn't even twitch as he mentioned that it was that young girl—or maybe that _thing_—that brought him to his situation right now. A mere description about what he saw back then—about the true nature of the young girl and the worm—would be more than enough to send chills to anyone's spine.

…However, Kakashi just couldn't find any words to say to Sai that might be able to soften the impact of his situation, and since he didn't want to sound forced, or worse—fake, in any possible way, all he finally did was to tap him on the shoulders, looking at him in the eyes directly, and said, "Thank you."

And it was something he really meant to say.

_Thank you_.

Sai just looked at him, and didn't say anything. He just nodded slightly.

…

……

-Puff!-

A cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared in front of him, and when the smoke subsided, Kiba was standing there.

"Hokage-sama," he said as he bowed a bit, "The Jounins have gathered at the Meeting Hall."

"Everybody's there?" Kakashi said.

"Yes," Kiba replied quickly, "Except Shikamaru and Hinata, and me—there are Neji, Shino, Lee, Tenten, Chouji, and Ino in the Hall right now. Gai-Sensei, Kurenai-Sensei, Ibiki-Sensei, as well as several other Jounins also have gathered there, as per requested… and," his face suddenly changed unpleasant, "…two members of the Konoha Council are there too."

"Very good," Kakashi nodded—truth be told, he didn't actually think that they would be able to gather this quickly—well, not _all_ of them at the very least. He knew exactly that they were busy with missions and the like—it seemed that everyone has recognized the very urgency of this situation—the fact that a Great Nation of Shinobis explicitly declared war on Konoha as well as Sand… something that definitely had the potential to give birth to another Great War.

"…But, uh…" Kiba muttered glumly, "I don't know if this has anything to do with this or not, but… apparently, Sai is missing,"

Kakashi blinked for a second.

"Missing?" he said.

"Yes," Kiba said, "One of the doctors in the Hospital told me that news when I went there to fetch Ino for the meeting. They're looking for him, but so far they're not successful."

For a moment Kakashi was silent.

He contemplated his options.

…

"I'll personally order a number of Scouts to look after him later," he said slowly, "It may appear to be cruel to say this, but for now we need to prioritize Cloud's open war declaration first."

"Very well," Kiba nodded.

…Yes, worried as Kakashi might be because of this sudden development of Sai missing, he just didn't have any time or space to worry about anything else, because his hands are full right now. He needed to speak and formulate plans with everyone else first regarding the matter.

He wouldn't be surprised if they already heard about Naruto's disappearance too, or the distinct possibility that, it was exactly because of that news that they could gather this quickly.

The only thing that slightly bothered him was the presence of the Council Members—no doubt that they would want to hear his plan in regards not only Cloud's war declaration but more importantly, Naruto's disappearance.

Regardless, they could be handled later on according to the situation. He didn't plan to pay any attention to them right now—not until he couldn't really, absolutely ignore them any further.

…

"Okay," Kakashi nodded—his face looked determined, "Let's go."

* * *

-**Sand: Around Three Days Before**

"You ready?"

Sakura glanced back, and there she saw Shikamaru was looking at her.

She returned her eyes to the bag she's preparing in front of her.

"Yes," she said, "Just a moment."

She put down some things into her bag, looking careful when inspecting the items stored inside.

Shikamaru didn't say anything for a moment as he gazed at her back.

He just stared at her meaningfully.

"…Just so you know, Sakura," Shikamaru suddenly said quietly, "…I personally think that going back to the cave Kiba and Hinata found last time was meaningless. We—and that includes Sand as well—have scoured pretty much every inch of that place for clues without avail. We're pressured in time, so I don't think it is wise for us to pursue clues in a place with so small probability of giving us the information we need."

"So what do you suggest?" Sakura said without looking back at him.

"I think you know already," Shikamaru said solemnly as he laid his back on the wall nearby.

"…"

"…We may have—No, we _need_ to illegally infiltrate Cloud's territory. There's a very huge probability that they may be responsible for a lot of things that happened to us," Shikamaru paused for a bit, "And so in order to obtain information about everything, most probably it will be necessary for us to enter their turf. In fact, I think it would be best if that is exactly what our first move in regard to this mission."

"Hmm," was her only reply.

"If they ever find out that there are three Konoha Ninjas inside their territory without permission…" Shikamaru continued, "…What's with they're declaring war on us and everything, you should have known already what kind of repercussions we may have to face later on… and I'm speaking not only for us, but for Konoha as well. It will provide even more justifications for them for their war."

…

"Are you having second thoughts?" Sakura said quietly, still not looking at Shikamaru.

"Hardly," Shikamaru said straight-forwardly, "I know that you know about this already, but I just want to remind you that due to the dangers surrounding this journey we're about to undertake, we can't afford to make any mistakes."

"…Of course," Sakura said shortly.

"Mistakes that can happen, because we are too emotional about this," Shikamaru continued, "I know that this is Naruto we're searching for, and I want to find him as much as you, Sakura, but we need to keep our heads cool, _no matter what_. We need to stay calm and focused."

Sakura tucked the last of the items inside her back and now turned around to face Shikamaru—she looked at him questioningly.

"Why are you saying all that to me?" she asked, "I'm a Jounin too, Shikamaru, and yet you act like I've never been in a mission before. Are you trying to say something to me?"

Shikamaru didn't immediately reply—he eyed Sakura meaningfully for a while; his expression contemplating, his mind seemed calculating.

"…What?" Sakura said again.

Shikamaru took a deep breath.

He withdrew a rather exquisite looking scroll from inside his Jounin vest. He unceremoniously threw it to Sakura, which was then got caught casually by the pink-haired Kunoichi.

"What's this?" Sakura muttered as he looked at the scroll. To her slight surprise, she could see a Hokage seal imprinted on the outer side of the scroll, which signifying that…

"It's a message from Hokage-sama exclusively for you," Shikamaru said quietly, "He told me to give it to you when the time is right. I've been intending to give it to you before we embark on our journey—we can't afford to let you know later and then… acting all emotional about it, possibly endangering our mission and everyone."

Sakura glanced at Shikamaru for a moment. Then, without saying anything anymore, she carefully unfolded the scroll and gazed at the contents within.

…

……

The room was perfectly quiet during the time Sakura was reading that scroll.

It was like time stood perfectly still. Only the gentle sway of the window frames getting pushed by the wind coming from outside accompanying the quietness—everything else seemed to have come to a complete stop.

…Seconds and minutes passed quietly.

Shikamaru was gazing at Sakura, his eyes appeared like he's trying to gauge Sakura's reaction towards whatever was written there on the scroll.

He felt slightly surprised to the fact that Sakura didn't show any distinct reaction about it. Her face just appeared… flat. Like she was reading a pretty boring literature she's not really interested in reading.

She didn't just read it one time though. Shikamaru could see that her eyes went down and up several times, reading the content of the scroll several times as if to make sure she wouldn't miss even a single word there.

…

Then, she finally folded the scroll, and unceremoniously returned it to Shikamaru, the expression on her face unchanging.

Shikamaru clearly didn't expect Sakura not to have any visible reaction whatsoever, and thus for a second there in one of those very rare moments, his mind went a bit blank. He quickly regained his composure, though, and said,

"…You okay?"

Sakura turned her back on Shikamaru once more and went back to checking on her bag.

She didn't say anything.

"…Sakura?" Shikamaru asked again.

"Well, that explains everything," she suddenly replied.

"Hm?" Shikamaru said.

"…What was written there," she said quietly, still not looking at Shikamaru, "It explains everything. The wound he got back in Konoha that wasn't as quickly healed as it was supposed to, the cough, the blood…… everything. Somehow, I almost kind of expecting it."

"…" Shikamaru didn't say anything—truthfully, he didn't truly understand what she meant by what she just said, but something told him that it would be better if he'd just stay quiet. Even if he should ask, he got this feeling that she wouldn't answer anyway.

The room was silent for a couple of moments again, before it was finally Sakura that broke it by saying,

"This just means we have to move faster, Shikamaru," she said in an even voice, "But don't you worry about it. I know exactly how high the stakes really are—I won't let myself be influenced emotionally by it to the extent that it will endanger all of us."

"You okay with it?" Shikamaru said—there's a look of slightly surprised on his face yet again.

"…Honestly, I am angry at Kakashi-Sensei from keeping this with me, but…" Sakura said—she stopped for a moment before continuing, "……But even Naruto hide this from me. I will ask him the reason myself why he did that when we find him. I won't be satisfied until I hear it from that stupid Ninja himself. That… stupid…"

Shikamaru gazed at her for a few seconds without saying anything. He closed his eyes and as he inserted back the scroll inside his vest he took a deep breath.

"Very well then," he muttered, "Anyway, Sakura—I'll be waiting at the front gate. Hinata's already there. As soon as you are ready, head there. Just like you said before… we need to move as quickly as possible."

Sakura just nodded.

…

……

Shikamaru gave Sakura's back one last glance, before he walked out from the room without making any noise.

…He didn't have the chance to witness Sakura's tears flowed down silently from her eyes…

* * *

**-Konoha**

The meeting went smoother than what Kakashi had expected.

It was agreed by almost everyone that in order to face Cloud's war declaration, it would be best for Konoha to play defensively instead offensively. Some hot-headed people inside the meeting suggested that Konoha should strike Cloud first with assistance from Sand, but this idea was getting rebuked for the fact that not only Sand was still suffering from what happened recently to them, there's practically no information whatsoever about Cloud's strengths and abilities.

Moving blindly inside their turf would be a foolish thing to do.

Also, one of the more clever and clear-headed Ninjas in the meeting (it was actually, surprisingly, Shino) raised up an intriguing point: it was suspicious that Cloud would be so daring in declaring war against two of Great Shinobi Countries at the same time. It may be just overconfidence, but it would be more prudent to suggest that they most probably had some sort of measures that can be taken for their advantage even when they're outnumbered. Something that was able to make them brave enough to challenge a war against Leaf and Sand.

And that something, Shino also suggested, was Hidden Stone.

Geographically, Konoha was at a disadvantage because it's sandwiched between the two countries. Launching an attack against Cloud means that Konoha would lose precious manpower, manpower that would definitely be required _if_ Hidden Stone turns out to be an ally of Hidden Cloud and suddenly launch an attack themselves to Konoha's home turf.

It was of the utmost importance then to verify where exactly, Hidden Stone's position inside all of this mess.

The decision was made for Konoha to send a formal convoy to Hidden Stone to determine their position. As speed would be the most important factor, and seeing that Stone was not necessarily a place where Konoha Ninjas could strut on comfortably, the people that would serve as members of the convoy must be both agile and capably strong.

In the end, as expected, all three former members of Gai's squad: Tenten, Neji Hyuuga, and Rock Lee were chosen. The rest of the Jounins and everyone else stayed at Konoha, strengthening defenses, intensifying patrols, and basically preparing all the necessary things that should be prepared if a war would truly going to erupt. The next steps required to be taken would be decided when Hidden Stone's position could be clarified.

Surprisingly, the Council Members that were present during the Meeting didn't say anything much, if any. They didn't even question Kakashi about Naruto's disappearance, which Kakashi found to be highly bewildering, if not suspicious. He wondered whether the Council, knowing about his very close relationship with Naruto, was planning something in regards to Naruto without telling him about it…

…

……

In any case, he agreed to what Shino said in the meeting, and truthfully he already thought about that as well—about the possibility of Hidden Stone working together with Hidden Cloud. But he has also thought about another possibility…

Another possibility of why Hidden Cloud would be so daring in declaring war against both Leaf and Sand at the same time—and it's got something to do with Naruto's sudden disappearance. It's a truly bold idea, and some might say it's far-fetched, but Kakashi couldn't risk it _if_ his gut feelings turned out to be true in the end. He just couldn't. And that's why, today, inside his office, he invited the presence of a truly special and one-of-a-kind guest.

…

"So," the guest was gazing directly at Kakashi, "I assume the reason why you're calling me today is because something has happened to Naruto?"

"Yes," Kakashi nodded, "Though exactly what, I can't tell just yet…"

He paused for a moment.

"Regardless, I truly fear for the worst," he muttered grimly, "And that's the reason I want to ask you some questions. Questions only you, Fukasaku, as one of two Great Sages of Myobokuzan and Naruto's Sage teacher, can answer."

* * *

**-Somewhere Near Hidden Cloud's Territory**

"Be careful," Hinata said urgently as she activated her Byakugan, "I see three patrol groups of three Ninjas each about one kilometer away from our location—one in the north, one in the northeast, and the last one in the east of the second one. If we keep moving towards this direction, we will encounter them."

Sakura didn't have time to be amazed by Hinata's extremely impressive reconnaissance ability before Shikamaru—who acted as the group's leader and consequently the one that was moving in the front—halted his movement to give her and Hinata a sign to move towards a different direction.

The three of them quickly jumped from trees to trees, moving in accordance to the warnings from Hinata to avoid meeting with unwanted attention. They have been traveling for a couple of days now since they departed from Sand, and it wouldn't take them long to reach Hidden Cloud's territory.

…

"Shikamaru," Sakura called, "Do we have any contact within Cloud? Perhaps a Konoha spy?"

"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask that question," Shikamaru replied from the front without looking at her, "Yeah, we have someone. But since it is extremely difficult for us to reach that contact without alerting Cloud because of their obscene amount of secrecy and security, as far as I know that contact doesn't even know that we are coming."

"Wha…?" Sakura gaped a bit.

"Yes, well, it is extremely difficult to stay unnoticed in a place like Hidden Cloud. We only managed to receive just a small bit of information every now and then from this contact, despite the fact that this person—I was told—has been staying there for five years. For approximately the last two and a half years, however, we haven't received anything from the contact—no information, no news, nothing."

"…Isn't it reasonable then to assume that our contact may have been captured by Cloud then?" Hinata joined in the conversation.

"Maybe so, but maybe this contact of ours may have been just stuck inside Cloud, unable to send anything to us due to Cloud's extreme measures of security," Shikamaru replied, "In any case, once we get inside, we need to look out for her."

"Her?" Sakura said.

"Yes, our contact is a Kunoichi," Shikamaru nodded slightly, "I have here with me information about her identity from five years ago. Hopefully she knows something about Cloud's movement, and perhaps if we're lucky she may have heard something about Naruto as well."

"Assuming she's still alive…" Sakura muttered grimly.

"…Yes, well…" Shikamaru said again, "There's always that possibility, I suppose. If that happens, I'll think of something else once we're inside."

"Even if she's still alive, since she doesn't know we're coming…" Hinata spoke out, "…That means we must find a way to enter Hidden Cloud ourselves…"

"Yes, that's true," Shikamaru nodded as he landed on a rather large tree branch, before jumping forward again in a matter of seconds, "We need to survey the situation first before we can come up with a plan to infiltrate their Hidden Village undetected. To that end, I'm going to rely on your Byakugan the most, Hinata."

"Ok," Hinata answered—her voice sounded confident.

Sakura stole a quick glance to Hinata.

She suddenly felt a sudden surge of guilt towards the Hyuuga Heir.

She didn't know her very well, and she wasn't exactly what Sakura would consider as close friend—definitely not as close as the likes of Naruto or Ino, or even Rock Lee. She had never actually talked with her outside formal Konoha business—never talked to her in a way that a friend would talk to another friend. All she knew about Hinata was that she's the heir of the Hyuuga Clan, and that she's a nice, sometimes overly timid person… and also the undeniable fact that she admired Naruto.

Yet, despite that, here she was, running together with her and Shikamaru, trying to commit a highly dangerous act of infiltrating the territory of an enemy that has openly declared war against Konoha. Should they somehow getting captured, Sakura wouldn't dare to even image what would happen to them. Not to mention that without her Byakugan, infiltrating Cloud's territory would be very significantly more difficult, if not straight-out impossible. Amongst them three, Hinata's the one with the least rest, even during the night, almost always activating her Byagukan to keep watch for things that may endanger their mission.

…And not a word of complaint from her. In fact, not even a frown.

Sakura knew that the fact that Hinata's coming with her and Shikamaru was most probably more because of it's about Naruto instead of everything else, but nevertheless it didn't change the fact that this infiltration was basically Sakura's selfish requests….

For Hinata to help her to fulfill that selfishness…, Sakura felt tremendously grateful.

She made a promise with herself that once they all get back safely, with Naruto, she would try to become a much better friend to the Hyuuga.

…

……

"Okay, stop," Shikamaru made a gesture to stop the group's movement.

All three of them landed on trees close to each other.

Shikamaru looked up to the sky—even through throngs of leafs from many gargantuan-sized trees around them, it was apparent that the sky has darkened quite considerably. It wouldn't be too long for night to show its dark faces to the world.

Shikamaru turned his attention to Sakura and Hinata.

"I say we've been running enough for today," he said conclusively, "We need to rest. Hinata, can you find a suitable place where we can rest around here?"

"Already found one," Hinata immediately replied, "It's not far from here, there's enough room for three of us, and there's no enemy patrols around to be found. Let me lead the way."

Shikamaru could tell that Sakura was somewhat agitated, and thus he said to her,

"I know that you want to find Naruto as soon as possible, Sakura," he said, "But we need every rest we can get our hands on. Besides, as proven by many patrols we managed to avoid so far thanks largely to Hinata's Byakugan, we are very near to Hidden Cloud's territory. Tonight's rest is going to be our last rest outside Hidden Cloud, in relative safety. Tomorrow we're going to be very busy, I assure you."

Sakura sighed a little.

Of course, what he just said was true, though still she couldn't shake her eagerness to find Naruto as quickly as possible even just a little.

"Yeah, okay," she said, "I understand."

"Okay, Hinata," Shikamaru nodded, "Lead the way."

"…Follow me," Hinata answered as she leapt forward.

* * *

Crickets chirped loudly, and the sound of nocturnal animals was profound all over the place as the three Jounins of Konoha rested their wary legs, bodies, and—in many ways, their minds as well. Occasionally wind would leisurely travel throughout the forest, casually toying with the leafs hanging high on the colossal trees all around them, making a strangely soothing yet eerie music of throngs of leafs dancing with each other.

They set up a small camp, with small sleeping bags readied as their only means to protect them from the coldness of the night. They have decided not to build a fire, because the light it would cast in an especially dark forest could potentially attract unwanted attention from wandering patrols. Each of them would take turns in guarding the resting place, with traps set all around them not just to alert them of unwanted presence, but to potentially injure them as well, so that they could be dealt with more easily.

As Shikamaru put it,

"I hate to say this, but looking at our situation right now, we don't have any room for errors… or mercy. If we're spotted, we must do whatever we can to…" he paused for a bit before continuing with a heavy voice, "…Incapacitate the witness before they have the chance to report us to their base. I dislike killing people, but if that is required to safeguard our mission… then I'm prepared to do whatever's necessary."

He looked at Sakura and Hinata.

"I hope you two are ready to do the same," he said evenly.

Neither girls said anything in response to that, but they undoubtedly knew that what Shikamaru said was true. Hinata looked somewhat tense, and Sakura in particular felt heavy—she's so used in saving people lives as a Medical Ninja that she already forgot the bitterness and outright distaste of taking lives out of someone else. It's not that she had never killed anyone out of necessity before, but she knew that killing someone was not something she could ever do without feeling heavily remorseful about it, no matter who the victim could be.

…

The moon was full tonight, and although the clouds did not appear to be huge in number, only a small amount of translucent light managed to graze the place where the three Jounins rested thanks to the towering trees around them and their countless leafs.

Sakura was sleeping inside her sleeping bag, while Hinata sat not far from here, still activating her Byakugan to survey their surroundings for signs of possible patrols. She looked somewhat tired. Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen near the group—he's preparing traps and alarms surrounding their resting place.

The wind blew softly again, and it brought with it the coldness of the night.

Sakura was shivering on her sleep as the wind grazed her skin. Hinata, who witnessed it, stood up. She unceremoniously picked up a small-sized blanket from inside her sleeping bag, and then after she carefully approached Sakura so that she wouldn't be disturbed by her walking steps, the Hyuuga heir gently put the blanket on top of Sakura.

She was sitting on her knees near Sakura for a while, gazing serenely towards the pink-haired Kunoichi.

…

"That was a nice thing you did," a voice spoke out all of the sudden.

Hinata glanced back. Shikamaru has returned—his hands were quite dirty, and some parts of his face were filled with dirt and soil. He looked somewhat tired as well—apparently it looked like he had worked quite hard setting up defensive mechanisms around the perimeters of their resting place. His right hand was holding a very thin, almost impossible to detect Chakra-enhanced string that's most probably connected to the traps or alarms he just set up earlier, in order to prematurely detect unwanted intrusion towards their location.

"…She's shivering," Hinata said quietly as she stood back up and walked back to her original position. She sat there.

"Aren't you cold?" Shikamaru looked at Hinata's hands—his sharp eyes caught the sight of them quivering slightly, most probably due to cold, although the girl quickly crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I've heard rumors that Hidden Cloud's territory is supposedly a lot colder in temperature compared to Leaf. Raining a lot more often as well."

"I'm fine," Hinata blew a breath—a whitey smoke flew out from her mouth and nose, her breath combined together with chilly air.

"Well, don't force yourself," Shikamaru sat somewhat in the middle between sleeping Sakura and Hinata, "And you can just deactivate your Byakugan for now. I know that activating it all the time is tiring for you, isn't it? Please we've been running all the time from Sand to here with just little rest. Use whatever time we have in our disposal right now to gather back your energy, Hinata."

Shikamaru nodded towards Sakura.

"Just like our friend here," he smiled.

Hinata didn't say anything for a moment before she finally nodded and deactivated her Byakugan.

…

Ten minutes passed, and each of the Jounin seemed to have drowned in their thoughts.

"…You are not sleepy?" Shikamaru finally said as he looked up to the night sky. The stars were plentiful tonight—too bad they're in the middle of a dangerous journey right now, otherwise it would be a perfect time to just lie down on the ground, setting one's eyes towards the sky, enjoying the beauty of the universe.

"A bit," Hinata admitted, "…but I'll be fine. What about you, Shikamaru-kun?"

"The same," he replied, "Anyways, it's a rough journey we're having here. And it's going to be a lot rougher from here on out."

"D…do you think," Hinata looked somehow restless as she gazed serenely to the ground in front of her, "Do you think Naruto-kun…… is okay?"

"…I don't know," Shikamaru said truthfully, "I _want_ to say that he's okay. Aside from our Hokage, he's probably the strongest Konoha ninja we have right now. A tough bastard like him wouldn't let himself be subdued or anything like that before dishing out a mightily lot of fight. I wish I could say with confidence that he's all right…"

He was quiet for a few seconds.

"But… I don't know," he muttered quietly.

Hinata looked up.

She cast her gaze right now to Sakura.

"Haruno-san looks so tired," she said in a low voice, almost a whisper, "I've never seen her so tired before."

"Well, yeah," Shikamaru sighed as he leaned his back against a tree, "We've been running with little rest for three days straight, and I think there's still some poison left inside her body. There's also the fact that she's now missing yet another member of her former team… it must be tough for her."

…

A gentle wind blew through their resting place, swaying Hinata's long hair slowly.

"…You know, Shikamaru-kun," she muttered quietly, "I envy her so much, you know. Haruno-san, I mean."

Shikamaru gazed on Hinata—he didn't say anything as he felt like it's not his time yet to speak. He let Hinata continued,

"She's everything in a person I want to become," Hinata continued—her eyes was staring at Sakura serenely and her voice was somewhat distant, "…She's smart, she's strong, she's skillful, she's talented, she's beautiful……"

She paused for a moment, her expression looked heavy,

"…And to Naruto-kun, she's……"

…She didn't say anything anymore.

…

"Well…" Shikamaru said to Hinata gently, "It's not that I disagree with you about she's being smart and everything, but there are no such things as a perfect human being, you know?"

He put his hands on the back of his head and continued,

"There are things that I'm sure you can do but she can't," Shikamaru muttered, "So you don't have to put yourself down just because there are some things that she can do but you can't. Just like I once said to Chouji way back when we're still Genins… he is just him and me are just me. Sakura's Sakura, and you are you, Hinata. And also…"

Hinata glanced at him.

"About Naruto…" Shikamaru said casually, "Isn't his Nindo is to never give up no matter what? As the person admiring him the most, Hinata, shouldn't you also follow that kind of principle as well? You just might never know what can happen in the future, you know. Don't waste your energy feeling sorry for yourself for things that you don't even know yet. I'm just saying that the fact that you are here together with us says a lot of things about the way you think about both Naruto and Sakura. I'll bet that Naruto will think the same way as me when we later find him. You can ask him yourself if you want to."

"…"

"…Right?" Shikamaru added in the end, "So, don't think about it too much. Too troublesome."

Hinata just gave a faint smile.

"I… I guess…" she said softly, "Sorry for suddenly talking nonsense like this, Shikamaru-kun. I don't know what's gotten into me… The most important thing right now is to complete our mission safely and successfully…"

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded, "Get some rest, Hinata. I'll stay up and keep watch."

"…Right…" Hinata replied, "Thank y…"

Before Hinata could complete her thanks to Shikamaru, suddenly something happened that made both Jounins immediately silent in trepidation.

The string on Shikamaru's hand was moving.

* * *

Hinata and Shikamaru were gazing at each other.

Hinata immediately scurried over to Sakura, and quietly shook her shoulders to wake her up.

Sakura opened her eyes, and it took her only a split second to become aware of her surroundings. When she looked on Hinata putting a finger on her lips, she immediately understood the situation.

Both girls immediately moved closer towards Shikamaru, forming a battle formation, their Kunais readied in their hands.

"Enemy?" Sakura whispered—her eyes still looked bloody red, but other than that she seemed ready to fight.

"Most probably," Shikamaru said back, "This string is chakra-influenced in that it won't move like this if it's getting disturbed by animals. Hinata, if you will."

"Yes," the Hyuuga heir nodded firmly, and she immediately activated her Byakugan.

"Found them?" Shikamaru asked.

"…Yes," she replied.

"How many people?" this time it was Sakura that asked.

"Two, but they're different than any Hidden Cloud's patrols we've encountered so far," Hinata muttered quietly, "…And…"

…She didn't get it.

She just didn't understand.

She could see two people near their location, but one of them—for some strange reason she couldn't comprehend—looked terribly blur. It was like she was seeing the person through an incredibly dirty glass or something. She couldn't even make the judgment whether the person was male or female, although the other one was definitely male.

…And the person's Chakra…

She had never seen anything like it before. Not even once in her entire lifetime.

The Chakra was so…

…was so… for the lack of better word…

……_chaotic_…

…

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Sakura whispered again, "Do you see anything that can tell us about their identity?"

"No…" Hinata replied, "But…"

!!!!!

She looked extremely shocked, and a split second later she suddenly positioned herself behind Shikamaru's back, crossing her arms in front of her as if to block an incoming attack towards her.

-DRAKK!-

The voice of an impact erupted.

Both Shikamaru and Sakura immediately whirled their bodies around, and to their surprise they caught the sight of a person right in front of Hinata—a person that seemed to just appear out of nowhere.

Hinata was blocking that person's kick, and although her hands still felt a bit stiff because of the attack, the Hyuuga immediately moved closer towards the intruder and launched a flurry of Jyuuken attacks.

But the mysterious attacker surprisingly managed to evade all of them, with all of Hinata's attacks missing perhaps only a centimeter away from their intended targets. The way he moved and the way he managed to outdo Hinata's attacks were very impressive—almost beautiful, even. The attacker then jumped backwards onto a body of a tree, and jettisoned himself to the front, flying over Hinata, Shikamaru, and Sakura, before finally landing gracefully on the other side.

…

The mysterious man didn't move to attack any longer. He just stood there, facing them.

Coincidentally, at the same time a ray of moonlight managed to penetrate its way through the throngs of the leafs above, illuminating the attacker inside a gentle, soft light. The Jounins of Konoha now could see the figure of the mysterious man clearly.

He was a young man with no hair, a person wearing a pitch-black cloak that meshed perfectly well with the darkness of the night. The cloak he wore covered his entire body from top to bottom, although there's no visible signs of any scratches whatsoever on it, scratches that would normally be there if a person running inside a dense forest wearing that kind of get-up. The most striking feature of the bald young man however, was the left-over of a big scar right on his forehead. It was enough to make Sakura wince a little—the scar was similar, if not worse, to the scars she once saw on Ibiki way back then.

No one amongst the Jounins recognized the man standing in front of them, but one thing was definite: he was not Hidden Cloud.

…

"Damn it," Shikamaru said, "Where the hell did he come from?"

"Didn't you see him?" Sakura asked Hinata without taking her eyes off from the mysterious man—how come he's still closing his eyes like that?

"…No," Hinata looked visibly distraught—apparently she was a bit shocked that the bald man was able to evade all of her Jyuuken attacks just before, "Not until the very last moment. I don't know … I _don't understand_ how he did it, but somehow it seemed like he managed to hide himself from my Byakugan…"

She looked highly alert.

"The two people that I was telling you about," Hinata said urgently, "They're close!"

"Probably this guy's friends," Shikamaru said as he moved his hands inside his shuriken bag, "I don't know who they are, but we need to deal with them regardless. Clearly they're not our friends if the first thing this guy tried to was to attack me in the back."

He quickly threw four shurikens wrapped inside papers coated with seals to the nearby trees. The papers glowed slightly when the shurikens pierced the trees, and Shikamaru quickly made hand-seals.

Inexplicably, the shadows of the trees pierced by the shurikens suddenly moved towards the mysterious man with amazing speed, and they then made a circular movement all around him.

Shikamaru kneeled down and touched his hands on the ground. The circling shadows suddenly jumped out from the ground, creating a round-shaped cage around the bald man, completely enveloping him inside a ball made entirely out of shadows. Shikamaru then made a fist with both of his palms, and the round-shaped cage suddenly got smaller like it was compressed forcefully from the outside.

They could hear the mysterious bald man shouted "Ugh" from inside the balls as if he's being choked out of air.

"_That should make enough pressure to render him unconscious_," Shikamaru noted, "_Now_, _for his fr_…"

"They're here!" Hinata alerted her comrades, and right at the same time, two figures emerged from the shadows of the trees. One of them jumped on top of the round-shaped cage made of shadows that Shikamaru created, and slammed both his palm on it directly. The cage was shaking violently, and then a second later dispersed as it exploded from inside out, freeing the trapped bald man inside it.

It would appear that the explosion caused some sort of feedback towards Shikamaru, because at that same time he fell backwards like some sort of energy forcefully pushed him back. The second person that came out used this opportunity to throw a slew of sharp-looking weapons towards him, weapons that were almost impossible to see inside the dark because not only they're flying at incredible speed, they're also purposefully colored in black.

Sakura jumped in front of Shikamaru, and with incredible amount of concentration and reflexes she deflected the thrown weapons with her Kunai, despite the fact that it was incredibly difficult to spot them all amidst all the darkness.

Unfortunately, two weapons managed to break through, and just when they were about to hit her squarely in her face and chest, Hinata acted quickly by throwing her shurikens right at the weapons, successfully deflecting them out of harm's way.

Shikamaru quickly stood back up—he clearly didn't expect that his shadow-entrapment Jutsu could be defeated that easily.

However, before he could launch another Jutsu, he suddenly stopped.

Sakura, who at first clearly wanted to move forward towards the mysterious attackers to deliver her own counter-attack, also stopped her movements abruptly.

Hinata was doing the same thing as well—just when she's about to enact her next attack, she suddenly just stopped.

They all stopped mainly because of two reasons.

One, because one of the attackers that came later all of a sudden raising his hand in front of him, as if he wanted to tell them to stop. Second, they stopped because after all the ruckus were done and they could get a clear view of all the faces of the mysterious attackers, it turned out all of them were able—to their apparent shock and surprise—to immediately identify the second person that came later, the one that managed to dispel Shikamaru's shadow cage rather effortlessly.

It was a face they all knew.

Some things have changed, and the hair seemed somewhat longer. His face looked somewhat older as well, but there's no mistaken it. There's no mistaken the horror and hideousness shown by the expression on that face. The fear that his mere face could inflict upon those unfortunate enough to witness it…… there's no other possibility but him.

…

"Well, well, well," the person that all Konoha Jounins gazed at in surprise suddenly said in a rather casual tone, "If I had known that it was you guys, I wouldn't order my friend here to attack you earlier. Sorry about a little bit of mix-up there."

He laughed a little.

"Anyways," he said, "The funny thing is, it seems like we always meet with each other under unfortunate situations, eh? But here we are, after all these years, finally meeting with each other again. I wonder whether this is just a matter of great coincidence, or our encounter here yet again is a matter arranged by fate itself. Nice to meet you…again, Haruno Sakura-san."

Sakura was staring at the man addressing her.

She was quiet for a moment, before finally,

"…Kabuto…" she muttered darkly.

-**TO BE CONTINUED-**


	9. Ninth Episode

Thank you, as always, for all the reviews and feedbacks given to me last chapter. **If you have some spare time**, **I would be tremendously grateful if you are willing to spend a little portion of it to write me a review for this chapter**. Thank you beforehand.

The following is a **very lengthy** Author's note. In here, I would like to address some of the issues raised in the excellent last chapter's review posted by **Nemesis Enforcer**, as well as announcing **something important about Episode VI and VII**. Though you may just skip it if you want, if you choose to read through it you may be able to get a clearer picture about the overall plot of my story, since some of the responds I have written below are related to critical, very important plot points of my story. Here we go:

-The most important reason why Konoha decided not to attack Cloud is because there's a possibility that Cloud has developed a secret cooperation with Stone. As depicted in chapter 2 of Naruto original manga ("Worst Possible Clients"), Leaf is located in-between Cloud and Stone. Basically, my concept is that Leaf is in danger of a pincer attack from both sides if Stone really is working together with Sand. If Konoha decides to attack Cloud in retaliation to their war declaration, then Konoha risks the possibility of reduced manpower to handle probable attacks from both sides _if_ Stone truly is in cohort with Cloud. That's why Konoha decided to play defensively—even if they both attack at the same time, at the very least Konoha still have the advantage of playing in their own turf. That is also why Konoha decided to send a formal convoy first to Stone in order to confirm their position in all this possible upcoming war. Unfortunately, at the moment, Sand cannot be counted on as a reliable backup since they're still recuperating from what happened to them last time.

-I think it isn't strictly necessary for Shikamaru to inform Kakashi directly that he—along with Sakura and Hinata—intended to infiltrate Cloud to find Naruto. In the last chapter it was implied that Kakashi had known, or at the very least had a very strong inclination to believe that Cloud is largely responsible for what happened in Sand. In fact, it was further implied that Kakashi had the same way of thinking with Shikamaru, in deducing that Naruto's kidnapping served as one of the most important focal points of not only the incident in Sand, but also the consequent open war declaration from the Cloud. All in all, I think I have provided enough information to infer that even though Shikamaru did not explicitly inform him, Kakashi did realize in the end that in order to save Naruto (which was why he sent Shikamaru and Hinata to Sakura in the first place instead of some other random Jounins), Shikamaru and the others _must_ infiltrate Cloud.

-Still related to the point above: actually, the point that Shikamaru's team is in the heart of enemy's territory providing them with a prime opportunity to gather intelligence is something that has occurred in my thoughts as well. In fact, that idea, combined with the information which I have provided that it's extremely difficult to extract intelligence from Cloud due to their extreme measures of security (and the missing Konoha spy), will be utilized as important plot points somewhere later in my story.

-I didn't intend to make "surprisingly" refers to the surprise that he can provide an analysis. Roughly speaking, the "surprisingly" part is referring to _he actually talks a lot_—seeing that he is the silent type and all. I guess I should have worded it better to avoid miscommunication like this… I apologize.

-Now that I think about it, the "Whooosh" sound effect _did _sound a bit silly and out of place, especially in scenes intended to be somewhat melancholic and dramatic. I have decided to disregard it completely in the updated version of the previous chapter that I have uploaded at the same time with this one. I will try to be more careful from now on.

-One of the most blatant holes in my writing ability is that oftentimes I tried to (or perhaps unknowingly) cram too many information into my story—too many details that at another glance may prove to be ultimately unnecessary and redundant. In relation to that, I'm still trying to find a Beta Reader willing to help me fix that problem, amongst others. Anyone interested?

Next, this is entirely my mistake and for this I really, really apologize. I have decided to **add one extra scene at the end of Episode VI** because I have found to my horror that there's a plot hole in my story that couldn't be explained without the said additional scene. It's a rather short scene, but I am terribly sorry for making you guys to go back to Episode VI again just because I am careless and sloppy. _I am sorry, so sorry_. Also, there have been some minor changes made in Episode VII because of this additional scene, but you don't have to read it all over again since the changes are nothing too significant.

That is all for now.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

**PS**: The following chapter is mainly talks since I intend to reveal a lot of important plot points in this one. It's a bit much in my head (hahaha) so I may miss something in here. If you spot anything that you think is incorrect or unusual, or if you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to ask them to me either by Private Messages or by reviews—I will do my best to correct/answer them all.

* * *

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

-Ninth Episode-

* * *

"_Love is the emblem of eternity: it confounds all notion of time: effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end_."—**Germaine De Stael**

**

* * *

  
**

- **Near Hidden Cloud's Border**

Hinata bared her Byakugan straight towards Kabuto.

It was no mistake—it was the same person she once saw with Naruto and Captain Yamato. It was none other than Kabuto.

She still remembered that she saw something that shocked her back then when she cast her Byakugan on him—that there's _something_ inside him that was not him, but at the same time an inseparable part of him. It was like there's another living entity inside him.

It was then revealed that he horrifically chose to integrate Orochimaru's soul with his own soul, forever fated to carry that burden for the rest of his life, a burden that may have given him a cursed body yet at the same time perhaps also an unimaginable power unlike any other.

…

And now, here he was, in front of her, after all these years, and what her Byakugan revealed to her when she saw him was beyond belief.

Before, for reasons she couldn't understand, when she was trying to see the person that turned out to be Kabuto, all she could see with her eyes was, somehow, just a blurred shadow. But currently, now that he's standing right in front of her, she could see it clearly.

It was…… difficult to describe.

She didn't know how to ascertain it. The fact was the _thing_ that was inside him, the _thing_ that she once saw years ago… it has seemingly grown… getting larger, stronger. It was like two persons inhabiting one body, two souls contained within a single container. Perhaps due to that reason that the Chakra flow within Kabuto that Hinata could see through her Byakugan was extraordinarily unusual.

For once, the amount of Chakra lines contained within him was twice the normal amount she usually saw in other people. It was like two persons' worth of Chakra combined into one.

Also, they were… incredibly chaotic. It was as if the two Chakras were conflicting, fighting with each other for the prize as the rightful owner of the body—they're running amok all around like a riot. Never before had Hinata seen Chakra within a person that was so extremely unstable. It was something incredible in itself that a person could actually contain Chakra volatility of such magnitude within himself with seemingly no visible effect whatsoever on his sanity or stability. Hinata could imagine that such conflicting Chakra would most probably invoke a tremendous pressure to the person's internal organs… any normal person wouldn't be able to handle that kind of pressure.

…

Kabuto wore a long coat that covered his entire body, but his face was clearly visible. His face…

His face…

…He didn't wear anymore glasses, but that was not the only difference from the last time she had seen him together with Naruto and Captain Yamato. Again, no words could escape her thoughts as to how to describe the person now standing in front of her—just like the Chakra inside his body, his face also appeared like it was split half-in-half with the face of another person implanted directly onto it. The sight of his other face was terrifying—the skin was decaying, and it was disproportionate to the other half of his face. But the eye—the eye that was on the decayed section of the face; it was leaking an unbelievable amount of killing intent. It exuded an incredible sense of maliciousness. It was an eye of a madman—the eye belonged to a human that no longer could be called a human anymore.

Hinata even felt the need to quickly deactivate her Byakugan, because the sight of Kabuto's Chakra running around crazily was somewhat dizzying for her to continuously see.

…

"…Kabuto…?" Shikamaru muttered questioningly, "……Yakushi Kabuto?"

"The very one," Kabuto replied courteously as he bowed down a bit, "Honestly, I am surprised that I will be able to meet with three Konoha Jounins in here, of all places in the world. What a great, great, _great _coincidence."

"Shall we kill them?" the bald man asked straight-forwardly, and this spurred Sakura, Shikamaru, and Hinata to quickly take a readied battle stance.

Kabuto laughed a little.

"Hideo-san, the ever impatient one," he said, "Impatience and blindness do not mix well, my friend. I sincerely doubt that even with you, me, and Seto-san here together we can defeat them all. Well…, not without a scratch or two, at the very least."

"I see that after all this time, you still haven't lost touch with your arrogance," Sakura said sharply—should they ever want a fight, she would give them a fight… a _hell_ of a fight, "Was that you speaking, or was it Orochimaru?"

"Oh it's me alright," Kabuto smiled, "Though there's a part of his soul integrated with mine, Orochimaru-sama holds no power whatsoever over my own consciousness. He _tried_ sometimes, for sure, but he has never been successful, or he will ever be. Don't worry… I'm keeping him under a secured leash."

"Hey, Haruno-chan!" all of a sudden the young man standing to Kabuto's left yelled out, "Do you remember me?"

Because it was so abrupt and he added –chan behind her name, Sakura for a moment was completely blindsided that the young man was calling her. She was taken aback for a couple of seconds, before she finally responded,

"What?" she said, "Should I know you?"

"Ah well I suppose since I ran back then you didn't get to see my face," the young man conceded, "Hmm… maybe you will remember if I give you this—don't worry, although this one's still sharp, it's safe."

He threw something to Sakura and she reflexively caught it with her right hand.

When she took a look at it, it turned out the object was a sharp-looking needle coated with black paint. She immediately recognized it.

"So," she said as she used the tip of her thumb and index finger to press the needle—the force of her strength was such that the needle was literally destroyed to dust, "You're the one that attacked us before when we traveled from Konoha to Sand."

"That would be me, the one and only Seto, yes," Seto replied casually—he didn't appear to be fazed at all by Sakura's little showing of strength, though Kabuto looked somewhat amused, "Well, nice to meet you again… although this time unfortunately we meet without the pleasure of company from your reckless friend, Uzumaki Naruto."

Hearing Naruto's name getting mentioned, Sakura twitched a little. It's like something inside her has finally snapped.

"Oh, but I've met him alright, face to face, back in Sand," Seto added again, "He's a truly scary person. The way he looked at me—I thought I was going to die just by getting looked at. But his reputation is well-deserved—he managed to defeat my slime-controlled _creatures_ very easily, and…"

Before he could say anything else, Sakura already dashed forward towards him, Kabuto, and Hideo—her expression looked especially angry. Shikamaru, Hinata, and Seto all looked surprised, but as Sakura was only a few steps away from Seto, suddenly Hideo jumped in between them.

Sakura continued to charge forward, only this time her eyes were temporarily changing their focus to the man jumping in instead of her original target. She immediately took a stance to attack, and then without further ado she launched a Chakra-enhanced attack punch towards Hideo.

With incredible speed and precision, he made a hand-seal. A strange soft glow appeared briefly on his left chest, something that did not escape Sakura's eyes, though she did not stop her attack because of it. Hideo quickly conjoined together both his arms in front of him to block Sakura's punch that has his torso as the intended target.

-CRAAAACCKKK!-

A sound of horrible impact erupted—it was even enough to scare away some of the birds inhabiting nearby trees.

Sakura looked surprised, and she immediately jumped back to her original position near her team-mates, casting her eyes towards Hideo relentlessly. It was apparent that likewise, Hideo also looked somewhat surprised as he jumped back a little towards Kabuto and Seto.

He gazed at his arms, and they were trembling.

"Her attacks," Seto said, "…You don't block them. You avoid them."

"So it seems," Hideo muttered quietly, "I've never thought that a person can cause this much damage to me even during the _Armor Seal_. But—she must be getting some feedback as well."

…

When the pink-haired Kunouchi looked towards her fingers on her right hand–the one she used to attack, she noticed to her surprise that there was some blood flowing from there. Her fingers felt sore too, and for a moment she couldn't move her fingers at all.

She immediately put her left palm on her right palm, and exerted a controlled amount of Healing Chakra from it. It managed to take out some of the burden, but the pain, although reduced quite significantly, still lingered somewhat.

"…What's wrong, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't know," Sakura answered, "It felt like… I've hit incredibly thick steel."

"There's something odd about his Chakra," Hinata interjected as she stared at Hideo, "Their movements are too rapid, too fast… their amount is too numerous as well. As soon as he made hand-seal a soft glow appeared on his left chest, and… I don't know, from there, suddenly a great amount of Chakra appeared, and they moved with incredible speed towards the arms he used to block your attack, Haruno-san. My guess is they're required for a certain technique to strengthen his arms."

"Hoo…" Kabuto spoke out—again, he looked somewhat amused, "That was a very astute observation. I guess it's to be expected, coming from an advanced user of the Byakugan."

Hinata didn't say anything to reply.

Now that she thought about it, her Byakugan revealed something to her about the people in front of her right now… something she didn't understand.

It was the fact that none of their Chakra… felt normal. She had quite never seen anything like their Chakra before. She couldn't really put it to words—it's like someone was tampering with their Chakra, causing them to appear and act erratically. How, and for what purpose, she couldn't get even the slightest grasp on it.

…

"In any case," Kabuto said, "I'm sorry that we started on the wrong foot. Hideo never saw any of you before, so he attacked you, thinking that you're the enemy."

"The enemy?" Shikamaru noted, "…You mean Cloud?"

"Well yes, of course," Kabuto nodded.

"Just what are you doing here anyway?" Sakura said sharply, "You are the one responsible for the attack in Sand, right? So why are you here? Why are you here near Cloud's territory?"

"To the question of why, it's a pretty long story," Kabuto said, "As to the question of what—I imagine our goal is the same right now. We're here to infiltrate the Cloud."

"For what purpose?" Shikamaru asked bluntly.

"To take back something what's rightfully ours," Hideo suddenly exclaimed, "And to deliver judgment to a certain traitor that has caused us to lost almost everything."

_Traitor_? Sakura muttered inside her mind.

…

"Ah…" Hinata muttered softly as all of a sudden a drop of water touched her hair from above.

That drop of water wasn't alone. Another droplet fell…

…and another…

And another…

It was quick to become innumerable as they together were the beginning of a rain. It began only a little, but the rain was very fast to develop. It took the rain only a few minutes to grow substantially from infancy to adulthood—and then the ground was hammered mercilessly by throngs of tears from the darkened heavens above.

The rain was heavy, and the skies were lit with numerous thunders and lighting, some so powerful the mere sound they produced was simply ear-shattering. The wind that was so soft and gentle before—as if it was influenced by the atmosphere—suddenly turned for the worse: loud, hard, and perhaps even downright _malevolent_. It was a great showing of nature's wrath: unmatched, and unrelenting. It was terrifying, yet magnificent.

However, none could sway the six from looking at each other like hawks gazing at their prey. They were all drenched in water, soaking wet from top to bottom, and the wind caused their skin to cower in cold—yet their eyes did not linger off from each their opposing party for even a single bit. It was tense and perfectly still—if not for the acoustic of heavy rain from the above, one could probably hear the sound of a single leaf falling down onto the forest ground.

…

"Shall we move on to somewhere else?" Kabuto was finally the one breaking the stillness, "I don't think it is appropriate for us to continue our conversation under so magnificent of a rainfall."

"Not a chance," Sakura said sharply.

"At the very least not until you explain everything to us," Shikamaru added—this comment made Sakura quickly cast her eyes towards him, but he ignored her, "Though I have a few ideas about some things, an explanation from you would help me understand a great deal more."

"What makes you think we would be so willing to tell you?" Seto said mockingly.

"I take it you are not in a very good terms with Cloud nowadays," Shikamaru continued, "Since you didn't deny Sakura's previous allegation that you're the one responsible for what happened to Sand weeks ago, the fact that you are here right now suggests that although you and them are connected in some ways, you are not exactly friends with them."

"That is true," Kabuto nodded, "In any case, although my group and your group is not exactly friends either, since we're here for the same purpose, I think it would be wise for us to refrain from…… hurting each other right now."

He paused for a moment. He glanced at the Konoha Jounins.

He smiled.

"Though," he said, "It _is_ rather interesting to meet all of you—especially you, Haruno Sakura-san."

Sakura readied herself, but she didn't say anything.

"Shikamaru of the Nara Clan and Hinata of the Hyuuga Clan," Kabuto continued as his eyes swept through Shikamaru and Hinata, "I can understand the two of them here, _if_ Kakashi-san's intention is to send spies to watch Cloud's movements. But since you are also here, Haruno-san…"

"I suppose it is safe to say that intelligence-gathering is not exactly the real reason why you three are here," he continued, "It is unreasonable to send you, as the famed Medical Ninja of Konoha, straight towards the heart of enemy's territory as a spy. It is too risky."

He took a step forward.

"So I say," Kabuto smiled again—it was a strange smile; friendly, yet somewhat malicious at the same time, "You are here for something else… something that can make Kakashi-san willing to send even you straight to Cloud."

He suddenly chuckled—something that took not only Konoha Jounins by surprise, but apparently his comrades as well.

"It is a strange thing," Kabuto chuckled while covering his face with his right palm, "That everything which moves right now is moving in accordance to the movement of just one person. How _cunning_. Regardless of my hatred towards him, I can offer him nothing less than my highest praise for his craftsmanship. Such devilry of unmatched proportion."

"What are you saying?" Sakura took a step forward as well—both her fists were clenched tightly, "Stop talking nonsense! Who the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh you know him better than I do, Haruno-san," Kabuto replied, "His fate is tightly bound to yours, and to Naruto-kun. Can you not imagine the name of the person that I speak of?"

A thunder announced its magnificence with a mighty roar, lightening up the sky and the earth alike. The sound it evoked was extraordinarily terrifying—it was like the earth itself was shaking.

However, none of the roaring anger from the nature around here was the cause of the stir that happened to Sakura's heart right now. She stood there, paralyzed, as she realized the meaning behind Kabuto's words. She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but for some reason she found it extremely difficult to do so.

In the end, it was Kabuto again who spared her the necessity to reply back.

"Yes," he said, "It is Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke.

It's a name once belonged to a former comrade, the last remnant of the most well known and feared Clan in the Leaf, a person hailed as one of the greatest genius of his age. As time passed and fate coursed its way through time, it became a name that belonged to a traitor, defector. The name that once disappeared, but emerged once more as the enemy of Konoha. Even worse, it's a name belonged to a person that chose to become a member of Akatsuki, the most dangerous entity the world has ever known, an entity that almost caused the entire Shinobi world to collapse under its threat.

…And now, the name has reappeared again.

Through the lips of yet another defector of Konoha, the name reemerged once more. What this could possibly mean, whether this was a sign foretelling something ominous or not in the future, not one amongst three Konoha Jounins right now could tell.

…

"…Sasuke… kun?" Sakura looked visibly shocked, if not somewhat shaken.

"Are you saying that Sasuke is the one responsible for what happened in Sand?" Shikamaru immediately asked.

"Well, no, that would be us," Kabuto replied casually, "But he used us in such a way that in the end what we did in Sand would bring him closer to his goal—which was ironic because we did what we did in Sand so that we could reach our goal closer as well. Unfortunately, I am only able to realize such an important thing at a time when it was all too late."

The rain kept pouring and pouring from above, and didn't show any signs whatsoever for reducing its pace. In fact, on the contrary, it just seemed getting bigger and bigger for each passing moment.

"…Your goal…" Sakura muttered slowly.

"It is to kill him," Kabuto said evenly, "To kill Uchiha Sasuke. With each passing moment my intent to exact revenge to him for what he did to Orochimaru-sama a long time ago grows bigger and bigger. Although maybe…"

Suddenly he twitched involuntarily. Hinata flinched a little as she witnessed with her Byakugan the Chakra within Kabuto went extremely haywire for a couple of seconds.

"…Maybe it's just the part of Orochimaru-sama's soul contained within me that desires such thing," he said, "In any case, killing Sasuke has become my purpose of living right now. It is exactly for that reason that our group did what we did in Sand—it was all done in order to find him."

"Is he the one behind Naruto's disappearance as well?" Shikamaru said—Sakura shot a questioning glance towards him, but he didn't notice it or chose not to notice it.

"Did something happen to Naruto-kun?" Kabuto raised one of his eyebrows.

"H… he was kidnapped," Hinata joined in the conversation reluctantly, "During the time he was in the Sand. He has… disappeared."

"Oho," Seto looked genuinely surprised, "Well, Uzumaki-san was kidnapped? That's a new story… I am surprised anyone was capable of doing that, unless he was somehow caught unaware. Hm…"

Kabuto closed his eyes for a moment.

Then, a smile appeared once again on his face.

"…Of course," he said, "It all makes perfect sense right now. Apparently Sasuke intended to kill two birds with one stone, but in the end he managed to get only one, although it is a very large bird indeed. Naruto-kun's kidnapping explains everything… you three being here, and the very bold and sudden war declaration by Cloud against both Leaf and Sand."

He glanced at Shikamaru.

"But you guys managed to deduce it was Cloud that's responsible for Naruto-kun's disappearance?" he said, "You _did_ think that Cloud is responsible, right? That's why you three are here right now."

"It is the only possible lead we have for Naruto's whereabouts," Shikamaru replied evenly, "You are here to find Sasuke? Is Cloud really the place to look for him? How do you even know that Sasuke is behind this anyway?"

A flash of giant thunder appeared again, and with it a mighty roar erupted. The rain kept falling, but the attention of all the people here couldn't be spared to anything else but each other.

"Alright," Kabuto nodded as he walked towards the nearest tree and leaned his back against its trunk, "We have no intention to fight with you, and seeing that our intention is basically the same… where there is Naruto-kun, there's a huge probability that Sasuke will be there as well. I think it will be prudent for us to work together, at least for now…… but since you three apparently won't cooperate with me unless I tell you everything I know… Very well."

"Are you sure about this, Leader?" Hideo didn't look too happy about it, "I am sure we can find our way inside Cloud on our own, without their help. I say either we kill them right now, or we just ignore them and continue our journey."

"Our business is with Sasuke, not with Leaf," Kabuto replied calmly, "Just trust me on this, Hideo."

Hideo didn't say anything anymore, and neither did Seto.

"Very well," Kabuto said under the noise of the falling rain, "Where to begin?"

* * *

"All of you must know by know that I have unfinished business with Sasuke for what he did to Orochimaru-sama a long time ago," Kabuto began, "However, I realized that it was almost impossible for me to make a proper settlement with him back then. Not only he posses the cursed Sharingan, but he was also under the protection of Akatsuki when he joined in their ranks."

Sakura seemed uncomfortable somewhat, but she didn't say anything as Kabuto continued talking,

"I realized that I needed to reorganize. I needed to gather sufficient strength to challenge him into a fight that I know I could win. But as long as he was under Akatsuki's protection, there's little I could do to him. And that's when you guys with all your heroics and bravado, came in," Kabuto said, "…The Legendary War. The biggest and the most devastating battle ever conceived in the entire history of Shinobi world. You guys suffered an extremely massive loss because of that war, but the end result couldn't get any better: you rid the world of the most dangerous threat against it, The Akatsuki. I didn't know how you guys do it, and frankly, I didn't care. So long as you guys managed to eradicate that tremendously troublesome group, I am happy. It made my job of hunting Sasuke significantly easier."

He tapped Seto and Hideo's shoulders with both his hands.

"I've managed to secure a few trustworthy allies along the way," he smiled, "And the timing for me to pursue Sasuke has finally come with the elimination of Akatsuki. I've also been able to… make modifications to myself and my allies so that Genjutsu, Sharingan's most powerful repertoire, couldn't be used against us effectively—but that's another story. Everything is set."

_Modifications_…? Hinata muttered inside her mind. _Does that have to do with their odd Chakras_?

"In any case, although you guys thankfully managed to defeat Akatsuki, you didn't manage to capture one of its members. You lost track of Sasuke and his small entourage after the Legendary War, correct? Like a coward he truly is, with his small group he ran away as soon as Akatsuki that protected him and his men in the first place got demolished. Although, the fact that he got away perhaps goes into my favor—it will be harder for me to get my revenge if he's under custody of Konoha."

Sakura twitched a little when she heard Kabuto called Sasuke a coward, but she still didn't say anything, although her face clearly showed displeasure.

"With Akatsuki destroyed, he and his little group of ragtag didn't have any choice but to live nomadically in order to survive," Kabuto continued, "They didn't have a home, since no country would allow them their aid because of their history with Akatsuki. However, Sasuke was finally forced to seek a protection of a powerful ally, and it's all because of us."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru said.

"I couldn't forget the look on his face when our group once managed to track his group down," Kabuto laughed pleasurably, "The look on his face. He didn't appear to believe that even after all that happened, even after the Legendary War, he still couldn't find time to rest his weary body because someone…" Kabuto pointed his finger towards himself, "…was still seeking retribution for what he once did in the past. He just couldn't catch a chance to rest his breath at all."

"We managed to kill two Ninjas from his group," Seto said arrogantly, "They're once nothing more than Orochimaru-sama's lab rats. They go by the name of Juugo and Suigetsu."

"I don't expect any of you will recognize those names," Kabuto casually added when the Leaf Jounins did not show any reaction to Seto's statement, "But they're strong. Exceptionally strong, even. The fact that we were able to kill both of them, even during Sasuke's presence on the battle, sent a clear message to him that we're not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, however, Sasuke managed to escape from us that time, along with one last member of his entourage, a Kunoichi by the name of Karin… also once the subject of Orochimaru-sama's experiment. He managed to elude us. Moving with just one other person allowed him to hide more easily from us—it was a very difficult task to track his movements since then."

"So you and Sasuke were playing a deadly game of hide and seek?" Shikamaru said, "…and Sasuke finally went to Cloud for protection? How could you know that? And why did Cloud willing to accept Sasuke under their protection? Two of the tailed-beasts' hosts were from Cloud, and Akatsuki killed them," he paused for a bit, "It's hard to believe that they would be so willing to keep an ex Akatsuki member under their wings."

"Believe it or not," Kabuto replied, "There are still a lot of people loyal to Orochimaru-sama even though he's been long gone… and one of them that managed to infiltrate Cloud sent a message to us that indeed, Sasuke was seen—with a woman—entering Cloud. Except for two other things, my contact didn't manage to send us any more information, though, because apparently his cover was blown and he was killed by Cloud. But that's not important," he waved his hand nonchalantly, "The important thing was that we knew that Sasuke went to Cloud. As to why Cloud was willing to accept him under their wing regardless to his connection to the Akatsuki…… well, have you guys ever thought why Cloud did not send their aid during the conclusion of the Legendary War even though two of the hosts that Akatsuki killed were Cloud Ninjas?"

For a moment none of the Leaf Ninjas said anything, their mind trying to arrange all the information Kabuto just provided to them, as well as trying to find an answer to the question he just raised.

…

"……I can guess," Shikamaru finally said, "Perhaps there's a regime change in Cloud, and the new regime thinks that participating in the Legendary War wouldn't do them any good. Maybe they're even…… ah…"

He looked somewhat stunned, as if he got hit with a new revelation.

"Indeed," Kabuto smiled, "That was one other piece of information our spy managed to get out to us before he was captured and killed; the fact that there has been a coup within Cloud where the previous leader was usurped by someone else. It was a testament to Cloud's well-fortified security that even a coup that dethroned the previous Raikage was an information known only to a select few. Not even the identity of the usurper was known to us… But can you see now how Sasuke could possibly gain Cloud's favor?"

Shikamaru glanced a little towards Sakura, before saying,

"…Probably," he said heavily, "He swore an allegiance to Cloud in exchange for safe haven. Probably, he offered them his Uchiha blood itself so that Uchiha Clan now serves under Cloud. With that…"

"What?" Sakura looked shocked—she was staring at both Shikamaru and Kabuto disbelievingly, "But, Sasuke-kun is the last of the Uchiha Clan! How…"

"You seem to conveniently forget that the last member of his group that managed to escape our pursuit with him was a Kunoichi," Kabuto smiled meaningfully, "…A _woman_. But even if she's not available, I am sure that other…… _means_, could be arranged in order to continue Uchiha bloodlines."

Sakura looked positively down struck as the implied meaning behind Kabuto's words dawned within her. She looked absolutely stunned, for a moment it seemed as if she's disconnected from the rest of the world. A memory of a very distant past suddenly emerged inside her mind, a memory she thought has long been lost. It was the moment where she, Naruto, and Sasuke first met with Kakashi… the time they first introduced themselves to Kakashi… the time where Team Seven first formed……

The time when it all began…

…

"_My name is Uchiha Sasuke_," _the young boy said darkly_, "_There are tons of things I dislike but I don't really like anything_. _And_…_ I don't want to use the word _'_dream_', _but_…"

_He paused_.

"_I have an ambition_," _he said_, "_The resurrection of my clan and_…_ to kill a certain man_."

…

_The resurrection of my clan_…

…_The resurrection of my clan_…

…

"But apparently Uchiha bloodline was still not enough for Cloud to fully accept Sasuke under their protection… they wanted something more," Kabuto suddenly chuckled, "Well, I guess I can kind of understand that, since Uchiha bloodlines brought nothing but troubles and chaos to Konoha in the past. In any case, where was I… oh yes. We have found the information that Sasuke has been taken under Cloud."

"Unfortunately for us, Cloud was and still is so well guarded that to penetrate its defense would be very difficult, even for us," he continued, "And unlike Sand and Leaf, they have suffered nothing much since they didn't participate in the Legendary War. Forcing our way in was too risky… we would have lost too many men. That's why we need another way to enter Cloud to find the cursed Uchiha."

"…And the Raikage visiting Sand was your ticket in," Shikamaru said, "I've heard from Sakura that there's a Jutsu from your group that has the ability to control the actions of others. You are trying to put the Raikage under that Jutsu, turning her into your key to the Cloud's gates."

Kabuto looked mildly impressed when he looked towards Shikamaru.

"Indeed that was my plan, yes," he nodded casually, "We at the time did not know for what reason the Raikage would suddenly visit Sand, and truthfully, I had my own suspicion about that sudden move. But the Raikage brought with her the entire members of Shadow Cloud, the Elites of Cloud—I foolishly interpreted this as a sign that her visit was indeed, official, although for reasons we couldn't tell. But when we got the news that Raikage would visit Sand in an official visit, we finally thought we had the chance we've been waiting for."

_Entire members_? Sakura contemplated inside her mind._ But wasn't she carrying only four members of the Shadow Cloud with her_?

However, she didn't voice her curiosity to Kabuto as he kept talking,

"I guess I was also somewhat influenced by Kaede's whispers," Kabuto added grimly, "She told me that the visit would be our perfect opportunity."

"…Kaede?" Hinata said.

"The traitor Kaede," Hideo said darkly, "Do you not remember what Leader said before? That the spy we once had inside Cloud managed to send us two other bits of information before he was apparently caught and killed? The other bit of information was that there's a defector amongst the ranks of Shadow Cloud. One of its members, apparently still loyal to the previous Raikage that got overthrown, was trying to assassinate the usurper. It failed, and she didn't have any choice but to flee Cloud because the only alternative was certain death."

"We immediately sought that defecting member," this time Seto joined in the conversation, "An ex Shadow Cloud member would be a very valuable asset to us. Besides the obvious skills, we could get a lot of privileged information about Cloud if we managed to get her to join with us. We managed to track her down, and managed to convince her to join our cause."

"Or rather, _she_ managed to convince us to let her join our cause," Kabuto added grimly, "Without realizing that she's just another trap Cloud sent to us, without realizing that the entire story about her defecting from Shadow Cloud was nothing but just a bogus story, we accepted her into our ranks. Also, I guess…"

He suddenly twitched again, like someone pulled a string attached to his body—it was an eerie sight.

"…I guess, the part of Orochimaru-sama within me desired her ability," Kabuto continued, "Her unique and one-of-a-kind ability, unseen and unheard before even by Orochimaru-sama or me. My desire to conduct…… experiments regarding, her abilities clouded my logical judgment. I believe you have met her already, Haruno-san? She's perhaps the only Ninja in the world equipped with the ability to make herself completely invisible to the eye, eliminating all her traces in the process. Perhaps only the most skillful and powerful Ninjas could detect her in that state. Can you all think how powerful an army will be if they can get their hands on that kind of ability? I was… seduced… by her skills. It blinded me to things that I should have been able to see."

_Invisibility_… Sakura thought quietly as the memory of a certain encounter inside Sand's meeting hall played out inside her mind.

"We immediately prepared a plan once we heard that Raikage would visit Sand," Kabuto continued, "I even prepared my greatest creation, the Homunculus, to aid us in our effort to take her. Speaking of which…" he averted his eyes towards Sakura, "I believed you've inhaled some of the poison of the Homunculus, correct Haruno-san? I can now understand now how the Kazekage managed to survive, but how did _you_ manage to survive?"

"None of your business," Sakura replied sharply although she herself didn't have any idea about it.

"I guess not," Kabuto smiled nonchalantly.

"You're planning to kidnap the Raikage during her visit to the Sand so that you can shift the blame to Sand yes?" Shikamaru was curious as well about 'the homunculus', but he decided to ask other questions first.

"Yes," Kabuto nodded, "Of course, back then it didn't occur to us that that was exactly what Cloud wanted. They needed an excuse to declare war upon both Sand and Leaf, and their Raikage got kidnapped—even killed—under Sand's protection, with three Leaf Jounins present, would serve as the perfect excuse. Of course, when I first heard that Cloud declared war as soon after what happened in Sand, I didn't understand why they would do that. But now that I know Naruto-kun's been missing… heh, it all makes perfect sense."

He gazed towards Sakura.

"What happened in Sand, I am sure you know already," he smiled, "You see, we are still a small group at heart, with only a dozens or so people joining under our cause—most of them are those who are still loyal to Orochimaru-sama. I wanted to keep our numbers as high as possible, so weakening Sand's defenses became my purpose at the very beginning. We even bothered to stake out a few staged intrusions within Sand's territory so that they would send out more men to patrol their borders in expense to their reduced manpower to safeguard the city itself. I also sent my dear Homunculus in for that purpose—I wanted to test her as well."

"But I originally intended to immediately pull out my Homunculus as soon as she finished her job—she is too valuable for me," he added, "However, your presence there changes everything, Haruno-san."

He clapped his hands slowly.

"I never would have thought that someone would be capable of not only tracing the source of the 'disease' that spread through Sand, but making the counter to it as well," he said, "And committing all of those only in a span of one day. In terms of Medical Ninjutsu, your skills are most probably surpassing even my own, Haruno-san. It was because of you that I was forced to change my plans: we decided to launch a direct assault to Sand in order to kidnap the Raikage. I even told the Homunculus to stay there to help the assault. We would lose a significant number of men, but it was an expense worth the price if we could get our hands on the Raikage."

"Am I supposed to be flattered by your compliments?" Sakura clenched her fists, she looked positively angry, "Your… _thing_ killed a lot of people, and your worms also created a chaos that cost Sand not only the lives of their Ninjas, but their citizens as well."

Kabuto shrugged his shoulders.

"It is of no concern to me, insofar that it is indeed required for me to achieve my objectives," he said casually, "In any case, in the end, we managed to kidnap the Raikage, and killing her guardians thanks to my dear Homunculus. We took her to our hideout, but it was then we found out…"

"That she's not the real Raikage?" Shikamaru ventured a guess.

"…Precisely," Kabuto gazed at Shikamaru with an impressed look on his face, "Turned out that woman was nothing more than just a normal Kunoichi disguised as the Raikage, and what's worse, they implanted a Chakra-concealed tracking device inside her to monitor her movements. We killed her, of course, but the device implanted inside her already sent enough information to her friends about our whereabouts. Not too long after that, before we had any chance to evacuate, Shadow Cloud members stormed our hideout. I suppose that's why they went out in full force from Cloud in the first place—they're planning to use all their strength to eradicate us all without mercy. Perhaps they were hiding somewhere in the meanwhile near Sand, waiting for the chance to strike."

_So that's why Kiba and Hinata found two hideouts_… Shikamaru muttered inside his mind. _One was used by Kabuto's group, and the other was used by the Shadow Cloud members_……

"…That's when that cursed Uchiha showed his face," Hideo muttered darkly—he looked exceptionally annoyed, "Because he thought that we didn't have any more chance to escape, he told us everything, sneering in the meanwhile. He told us that the Raikage visit was nothing but a ruse to draw us out, and it was a part of the deal he made with the real Raikage so that he would be able to use the help from the Shadow Cloud members to eliminate us all, to eliminate the thorn that has been bothering him all this time. Even the _real_ Raikage was there. And that's also when Kaede showed us her true colors."

"Like I said before, the whole story about her defecting from Shadow Cloud's ranks was nothing but a lie," Kabuto added, "They knew that we would try to contact her once we learned about her supposed defection. Her job was to inform Cloud about our movements, as well as gathering as much data and information about us as she could. Her skills complemented those tasks well… _extremely_ well, even. It was her also that managed to obtain the sample of the poison I used in the Homunculus, and sent it to Cloud so that they could create an antidote for it. I imagined that's why Kazekage's still alive—they needed him to be alive so that they could have a reason to blame Sand for all that's happening in there. I am willing to bet that the four Shadow Cloud members you've found in the Sand's Meeting Hall were not even the real members of the group. Those masks they wore were awfully convenient, to be sure."

"We didn't have a chance to win back then, what's with all members of the Shadow Cloud attacking us, as well as the Uchiha and the Raikage himself," Hideo said again, "But one thing happened that they didn't plan—us three managed to escape from them. They didn't expect our men to fight so ferociously and so skillfully, even knowing the odds of winning were none. We three escaped from the Cave using a secret passage while our men delayed their advances with their lives."

"They even took the Homunculus with them," Seto spoke out, "I bet they're trying to use her as a blueprint to create others like her for their own use. We're here to take her back as well."

…

Kabuto sighed—his face looked somewhat heavy.

"I bet Sasuke was so pissed off because he failed to kill me just like he envisioned in his plan," he said, "Perhaps I can find some solace in that, but the fact remains that all of my men were killed, and all of my experiments were destroyed during the fight in the Cave back then. Even my experimental subjects were annihilated. All I have left is my own body and these two, and nothing more……"

He looked at Sakura meaningfully.

"And apparently Sasuke was using all that happened in Sand as means to capture Naruto-kun as well," he said, "I am honestly surprised that the real Raikage himself was willing to participate directly, and why would he be so willing to send the famous Shadow Cloud members out in full force. If Sasuke promised him Naruto as a reward, however, then I can understand why."

Sakura was utterly dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say.

She was shaking, her mind was frozen.

"It all makes perfect sense," Kabuto added, "Since Cloud wanted more than just his Uchiha blood to take him under their wing, Sasuke also offered Naruto-kun to them. In order for him to secure Cloud's aid to eliminate us, he also offered Naruto-kun as an extra prize."

"…No…" Sakura shook her head violently, "No… that's impossible… S… Shikamaru, tell him that's impossible…"

She gazed towards Shikamaru, but to her discontent she found his expression did not appear to be very supportive.

"…Sorry, Sakura," he said glumly, "...It all falls into place. It explains why Naruto was kidnapped—and why Cloud would be so daring in declaring an open war against both Leaf and Sand in the first place. The fact that Cloud's proposal went directly to Sand but not to Leaf could be explained as well… They must have known that Konoha would send Naruto there because of his connection and experience in Sand."

"And that was something they couldn't have known by themselves _unless_ someone told them about Naruto-kun's relationship with Gaara-kun," Kabuto added decisively, "…Someone familiar with Naruto-kun."

"…B… but…" Sakura turned to Hinata for support, but the Hyuuga appeared unable to say anything as well, "…Why Naruto… why?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Hideo spoke out with an even voice, "I heard from Leader that the powers of the Nine-Tails were sealed within Uzumaki Naruto. It is obvious that they're after it."

Sakura trembled.

"Oh it gets better," Kabuto continued, "The fact alone that Cloud declared open war suggested that they were confident about winning the war… that they were confident about their ability to defeat both Leaf and Sand at the same time, and possibly continuing their conquest through the rest of the world as well. Leaf and Sand may have been weakened by the Legendary War, but still, for Cloud to be that confident…"

"SHUT UP!" Shikamaru suddenly yelled towards Kabuto—his face looked terribly aggravated, "DON'T SAY ANYTHING ANYMORE!"

"…They must have an ace up their sleeve," Kabuto looked amused to Shikamaru's attempt to stop him, "Something that they believed could grant them victory even though they're facing two Hidden Villages at the same time. Maybe they have managed to obtain the power of the Nine-Tails?"

Sakura couldn't believe it…

…She couldn't believe it……

"Oh, that's right," Kabuto clapped his hands, "But in order to obtain the power of a sealed Bijuu from within the host, the host itself must be kill…"

He suddenly jumped backwards along with his two subordinates, evading Shikamaru's shadows that almost caught their feet.

"Shut up!" Shikamaru yelled in anger.

"Aahh, but you must also feel the truth in my words, yes?" Kabuto said casually as he and his subordinates landed gracefully a few feet back from where they originally stood, "I am sure that a man of your intelligence would realize that what I just said was reasonable."

"We don't know that for sure!" Shikamaru yelled again.

"In all likelihood, though, Naruto-kun was dead already," Kabuto finally said conclusively, "And it was Sasuke's planning that got him killed."

…

-BRUGH-

Sakura fell down on her knees. Although her eyes were opened wide, seemingly staring at the ground below, her gaze was empty.

Her expression was painful to watch.

"Haruno-san!" Hinata quickly moved to hold Sakura.

…

"Regardless," Kabuto said as he gazed towards Sakura, "Get in denial all you want, but what say you about my previous proposal of us working together temporarily to infiltrate Cloud? It will be significantly easier for us to enter Cloud if we work together. Not to mention that our ultimate objectives coincide quite nicely with one another."

He turned his eyes to Shikamaru.

"So?" he asked, "What say you?"

And the rain kept falling in the darkness of the night…

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	10. Tenth Episode

-It goes without saying that on some (if not many) accounts this story will have conflicting information with the original work by Kishimoto as the manga continues to progress further, particularly on the characters that he killed in his manga but still alive in this story. I have to put an approximation about some things here, but at the very least so far _I think _all the things that I have written are still within the plausibility of Narutoverse. However, if any of you are thinking otherwise, whether it is for my past, current, or future chapters, please feel free to remind me so that I can get back on track.

-Thank you very much for **Gravenimage**, **.**, **EarthBorn0**, **Kara**, **uzukun7**, **xzavx**, **Cloud Ex-SOLDIER** and **Bombat1994 **for all of your reviews and kind words. As usual, if you have a little time to spare, please feel free to post your review for this story… I couldn't give you anything in return, but it would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

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A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

-Tenth Episode-

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"_What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us_."—**Ralph Waldo Emerson**

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**-Cloud**

It was a place Hinata found with her Byakugan. Her skills with her bloodline limit was as such that she could even penetrate the thick fog and heavy rain all around her to scout a secluded cave located far from where she stood.

They have decided to move there because the rain has became too big and unbearable. Combined with the heavy wind and throngs of lightning that could shake the ground with their sheer loudness alone, not even the most hardened of adventurers could withstand such fury for a prolonged amount of time.

…

"There you go," Hinata helped Sakura to lean against the flattest part of the cave walls. Thankfully, the cave run pretty deep so that they could get farther in and away from the rain and the wind that kept on blowing mercilessly outside. It was surprisingly spacious too, having enough room for several people to fit in rather comfortably.

"……Thank you," Sakura said softly as Hinata let go of her hands.

"Shikamaru-kun," Hinata quickly looked towards Shikamaru, "Do you think it will be okay for us to ignite a fire here? …We're all wet and cold… W… we need to dry our clothes and warm ourselves up."

Shikamaru glanced towards the entrance of the cave.

"Yeah," he said after a while, "Go ahead. It's pretty far from the entrance, and the rain outside does not show any signs of going down anytime soon. It'll conceal the light from the fire. I think it's pretty safe."

"All right," Hinata nodded.

She quickly scoured the immediate surroundings to search for anything burnable. After she gathered enough, she put them down in the center and took out a pack of matchsticks from her drenched bag. It took her a couple of tries to ignite the matches, but in the end she managed to light one of them up. She tossed the ignited match towards the materials she collected.

A modest fire quickly sprouted off.

It wasn't big, but the warmth it created was sufficient enough.

"Aaah," Hinata breathed in relief. She then leaned her back against a flat surface of the cave walls not far from Sakura.

……

The fire crackled continuously as it emitted small sparks all around it. The sound it made was strangely soothing compared to the heavy rain outside, and the movement it made as it danced wildly was oddly captivating. The Konoha Jounins were staring at it silently as if that one fire was the only one bringing forth good things in a place where all else were nothing but harbingers of ill fortune.

None were talking to each other, and none was making any sound. Each of them was drowned in their own thoughts. Thoughts about things that already happened and thoughts about things that may yet to happen…

…

……

"I can't believe you." Sakura suddenly muttered unhappily.

Shikamaru blinked.

Hinata quickly turned her attention towards Sakura, and then Shikamaru, and then Sakura again.

"About what?" Shikamaru said, although he felt like he really didn't have to guess anything in the first place.

"Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about," Sakura said back as she gave a nod the entrance of the cave.

Hinata glanced towards the entrance—three people were there. They were none other than the other intruders they just met before: Kabuto and his two subordinates.

Those three were sitting relatively far from the Jounins, and relatively near the entrance. Though they were already inside the cave, the force of the wind outside should still be felt from where they're sitting, and they should still feel the splash from the heavy rain outside—not to mention that their clothes were all still very drenched. Yet, none of those things seemed to be bothering them, because from what Hinata could see, those three were in the middle of a deep sleep.

They're sleeping quite soundly too, unperturbed by the sound of the raging force of nature outside.

…

"…Kabuto is a wanted criminal," Sakura said, "I don't think Leaf will be happy to hear that not only we didn't do anything about them although they're right in front of us, we also agreed to work _together _with them."

Shikamaru just shrugged his shoulders.

"We really don't have any other choice," he seemed unfazed by Sakura's sharp glare towards him, "We can try to fight them, I suppose, but the fight will definitely attract unwanted attention since there _are_ a lot of Cloud patrols around here. And frankly I am not even sure that we can win—and even if we do, it will take a good amount of our energy, and it's not like we can report directly to Leaf about it. In any case, we need to preserve our energy as well—and as far as I can see, they really don't have any intention of doing anything that may threaten our real objectives; the reason why we're all here in the first place."

He paused a little, before continuing,

"We might be able to gain more information by working together with them," he added, "And I'm not planning to stay together with them forever anyway. I am fully aware that they're dangerous people, and staying with them too long won't be good for us in the end. I say we each can go our own way once we manage to infiltrate into Cloud."

"You know what their ultimate objective is," Sakura said harshly, "They're trying to kill Sasuke-kun. I can't possibly work together with anyone trying to accomplish that kind of mission… no way."

Shikamaru sighed a little.

"Yes, I am aware what they're trying to do," Shikamaru said, "And yes, I too am aware that they're responsible for what happened in Sand, and yes I do agree that they must be held responsible for their actions there. I just think that now is really not the right moment. I stand to my conclusion—in that their objective does not collide with ours."

Sakura looked a bit shocked.

"Look," Shikamaru said as he leaned forward towards Sakura—his expression filled with determination, "If we're going to rescue Naruto, as it is now, there is one thing that you must face sooner or later."

He took a deep breath, before saying,

"Chances are, there _will_ be a time when you have to make a choice, Sakura," Shikamaru said straightforwardly, "A time when you have to make a choice between Naruto _or_ Sasuke. A time when you have to decide one out of two, and no…" he raised his hand because Sakura seemed to want to say something, "Unfortunately, there is no Naruto _and_ Sasuke here. It is extremely unlikely, perhaps even _impossible_ that Sasuke will be so willing to return with us to Konoha. I know that I've said this to you before, but looking at our circumstances right now, hesitating will only lead to danger, and not only it can cause our mission to fail, it might also get all of us killed."

If Hinata appeared surprised by Shikamaru's direct bluntness, to say that Sakura was shocked was clearly an understatement. It was obvious that what Shikamaru just said was impacting her greatly—her mouth was hanging a bit, as if she wanted to retort back, but in the end it would appear that she couldn't find anything to say to him.

Shikamaru didn't say anything anymore either. He pressed his back against the walls of the cave, and closed his eyes. For some reason, he looked much tired than he was previously.

…

The silence that ensued afterwards was suffocating, and it's like there's a visible crack on the atmosphere.

Hinata glanced consecutively at both of her team-mates, her expression looked deeply worried. It was as if all of them were standing on a very small rope that might just snap at any second. It was a situation that she felt mightily uncomfortable in.

None of them were talking to each other anymore, as Sakura fixated her gaze towards the fire, seemingly drowned in her deepest thoughts, while Shikamaru was closing his eyes. For a while Hinata seemed clueless about what she should say or do in a situation like this, but she figured it wouldn't be good for the team to be in this kind of situation any longer. The last thing she wanted to have was her team-mates not speaking to each other during an especially dangerous mission, and she decided she would try to do her best to not let that happen.

…

……

"…He's a strong person."

Both Sakura and Shikamaru looked up.

They seemed surprised.

"…He's a strong person, Naruto-kun…" Hinata muttered quietly as the fire's reflection was dancing on the surface of her eyes, "So we shouldn't worry about him too much. N… no matter what those three said…"

She paused a while, before adding softly,

"I am sure…" she said, "That he's still fine… and that we will find him… And then the four of us will be able to return to Konoha safely… and soundly."

She looked up and gave off a confident smile.

"Right?" she said.

Shikamaru just smiled a little, while Sakura did nothing but to cast her gaze back to the flickering fire.

...

"He is…" Sakura suddenly muttered, "…He is sick."

Hinata looked startled, while Shikamaru turned his attention towards Sakura—he had a meaningful expression on his face but didn't say anything.

"Sick…?" Hinata repeated.

Sakura nodded.

"Yes," she said quietly, "Naruto. It seems like the seal containing the Nine-Tails has weakened considerably, and because of that the power of the Nine-Tails inside him is leaking much more uncontrollably. His body couldn't handle the pressure of such power, and it's getting corroded from the inside slowly, but gradually…"

Hinata was gaping a little, while Shikamaru still said nothing and did nothing except to cast his eyes towards the pink-haired Kunoichi

"…how do you know that?" Hinata said—her face seemed horrified.

Sakura grabbed her bag that she put right next to her, and pulled out something from inside it. It was the letter from Kakashi that was given to her before by Shikamaru in Sand. It was already wet, but the letters written on it seemed to be still readable.

She glanced towards Shikamaru a little.

"I know that Kakashi-sensei told you that this is for my eyes only," she said, "But Hinata's here together with us to look for Naruto, so she has a right to know this as well. Moreover, I believe in her."

"Suit yourself," Shikamaru said plainly.

She gave the letter to Hinata, who—when she spotted the Hokage seal on it—received it rather awkwardly.

She opened the letter and, after one final look at Sakura who merely just nodded, read it.

…

"The letter told me everything," Sakura said solemnly as Hinata was reading it, "One day when Naruto returned from an S class mission, due to enemy attack he got himself a wound on his left leg. Normally due to……" her tone changed, "…the powers of the Nine Tails, all wounds he endured would be healed almost immediately. However, this one was different—the wound he got from that mission wasn't healed although it has already there for a couple of days. He went to the hospital but for some reason didn't look for my help—instead, he went to Shizune."

Hinata was reading a sentence on the letter written by Kakashi… '_…probably because he didn't want to cause you any worry, Sakura_."

"…Probably he could feel it, probably he knew it already," Sakura continued, "…That something has gone wrong inside his body. Shizune took care of the wound like she would any other normal wound, but she found something there that she didn't tell Naruto or me, although she made a report about it to Kakashi-Sensei."

Sakura was shaking a little, perhaps due to cold… or perhaps due to something else entirely.

"…She found that his blood, Naruto's blood, was… poisonous," she muttered quietly—Hinata let out a silent gasp, "That there were toxic and dangerous substances mixed in within his blood. She found that those substances did not originate from external sources, but rather internally—more specifically, his Chakra system. Apparently, it was presumed that his Chakra was fouled and contaminated by the leakage of the Nine Tails Chakra, and his poisonous Chakra lines damaged his body. It was the only logical conclusion, and if I have been the one finding it, I would presume the same thing as well."

Hinata looked shocked beyond belief, while Shikamaru looked a tad uncomfortable.

"I had my suspicion for a while," Sakura continued, "When I spotted the wound on his left leg that he got during his mission did not heal, I suspected that something unusual must have happened to him. In Sand, I…" she paused a little, before saying, "…I managed to get a hold of his blood, but…"

Hinata turned her eyes towards Sakura,

"I didn't have time to examine it…" Sakura looked down, "Because of what happened back them. If only I spared a little time to do it, I might have already confirmed my suspicion back then, and… and… perhaps I could do something about it. But now…"

"Haruno-san…" Hinata muttered quietly.

"It's just that!" suddenly Sakura exclaimed—tears started to swell in her eyes, "It's not fair, you know! Not fair! This is something that we should absolutely not tell anyone else, because who knows what the Villagers would do if they find out that the Seals of the Nine Tails is weakening... And we can't do anything about his sickness too! S…since it seems like the only possible way to completely eradicate the poison inside his body is to get rid of the Nine-Tails completely! But if we do so, he'll……"

Sakura was trembling.

"…If the Seal is weakening, we risk of letting loose the power of the Nine-Tails, something that is incredibly dangerous for everyone…" she said shakily, "But even if we're to reapply the Seal, what we do is just forcing Naruto to continuously contain the Nine-Tails forever, the very thing that caused him to sick in the first place, the very thing that poisoned his Chakra, the very thing that made him suffer…!"

_Naruto never had any choice in the matter_…

…_He never had any choice_…

"…And yet, he's always trying to act cool like everything is alright!" she said, "Always laughing, always making stupid jokes here and there like all things in this world is funny, always _Sakura-chan_ this, _Sakura-chan_ that!... but he didn't even want to tell me that he's sick! He always suffered because of that _cursed_ thing inside him! He had never had the chance to live a normal life because he's a Jinchuuriki, and now… There are people now that still after him because of something inside him that he didn't have anything to do with in the first place! Something that he did not even want to have! A… and… and now… to hear that the one after his power is Sasuke-kun, someone that Naruto always held dear in his heart no matter what…… I… I…"

She's trembling even more.

Shikamaru just kept staring at her, while Hinata quietly scurried over to her, and gently put her hand above Sakura's shoulder.

"…He never had any chance to choose," Sakura said weakly—she wanted to scream, or rather, her heart wanted to scream, but she could not find the power to do so, "He never had any chance to choose…… He never had the chance to be truly free, to be truly happy… and yet regardless what, he always tried to always make everyone…"

……_To make me_…

"…Happy…"

Her eyes were colored bloodshot as tears flowed down from her eyes slowly.

…

……

"…I know what you just said before is true, Shikamaru…" Sakura wiped the tears on her face with the back of her hand, "…That sooner or later, I must choose. I hate myself because I still hesitated back then… I hate myself because I still had doubts about it… I hate myself because I am still trying to close my ears to the truth behind your words……"

Shikamaru was staring at her.

"…But I know that you are right," Sakura finally said in the end.

She firmed herself up. Her face was gradually filled with determination and resolve.

She looked Shikamaru straight in the eyes.

"If I really have to choose," she said, firmness in her voice, "Then I will not let any doubts clouding my heart and mind again. I will not hesitate anymore. I will choose the right decision."

Shikamaru was honestly a bit taken aback by Sakura's sudden determination. Like she was struggling to search for an answer all this time, and now, amidst all the pain inside her heart, she finally got it. She just finally got it.

Regardless of everything else right now, she had finally found the answer she's been searching for all this time.

Shikamaru gazed straight back.

He looked Sakura directly in the eyes.

He's searching for an answer too.

…And inside her eyes, he could see it. There were no lies there. No hesitations. No doubts.

…

"Okay," he finally nodded understandingly, "I believe you, Sakura."

Hinata let go of her hand from Sakura's shoulder.

She said quietly,

"…You said before that he had never any chance to be really happy," her eyes looked down onto the ground, "…Haruno-san, now it's the opportunity to give him that chance. W… when we find him later…"

For some reason, her chest felt very hurt. It was as if someone stabbed a piercing sword directly inside it, and she couldn't bear the pain. Regardless, she tried her best to hide it, and she's trying to sound as even as she could as she spoke,

"…When we find him later," she said, "…You make sure you tell him about your decision right now. I… I'm sure… it'll make him…… very happy…"

Hinata stopped. Her expression was clearly hurt, but she was very quick to hide it. Instead, she put a smile on her face.

Sakura gazed towards her for a while, before nodding her head.

"Yeah…" she muttered, "…Thanks, Hinata."

Shikamaru snapped his finger, quickly turning the attention of both Kunoichis toward him.

"Now we should rest," he said with a smile on his face, "I am not entirely sure because of this blasted rain, but I reckon night will be over soon. We should be having all the rest we can get our hands on. Oh, and Sakura…"

"Hm?" Sakura said questioningly.

"Don't you worry about them," Shikamaru pointed his thumb towards Kabuto and the group, "…I'll think of something."

"Yeah, okay," she said, "Sorry about everything, Shikamaru."

"Don't mention it. Now you get some sleep," he said, "You too, Hinata."

The pink haired Kunoichi and the Hyuuga heir nodded at the same time. They leaned back on the cave walls, trying to find the most comfortable position. Perhaps it was because of extreme fatigue because of their journey, or perhaps it was because they just had to deal with heavy psychological burden, as soon as they closed their eyes they immediately fell into a deep slumber.

…

Shikamaru felt that his eyes were growing heavy, but he realized that someone must keep watch no matter what. And there's the fact that they were sleeping next to one of the most wanted fugitives from Konoha.

So instead of sleeping, he was staring at both Sakura and Hinata.

"…Choices, huh…" he muttered meaningfully, "…Choices……"

* * *

The group of six people propelled forward from one trees to another with astonishing speed, with Hinata in the front, giving directions. Occasionally they changed directions, or stop altogether before moving again to avoid getting spotted by Cloud patrols. Moving discreetly was naturally harder for six people to do when compared to just three.

The amount of patrols has increased significantly to the point that almost every five minutes they needed to maneuver in some way to avoid being detected. It was clearly a sign that they were getting closer and closer to the Cloud—as the group kept moving forward, Sakura felt her senses sharpened and her attention focused…… she had never sense this kind of feeling before…, a feeling where it felt like she could take on even the entire world if need to.

…

"Stop."

All members of the group quickly halted their movements, but this time the one giving the order the stop was not Hinata, but instead Hideo. The Konoha Jounins just found out recently that the reason why he never opened his eyes was because he got no reason too since he was blind, a fact that shocked them to no end. What was even more surprising that he could maneuver through the thick forest without faltering even once. Also, to Hinata's bewilderment, sometimes he even already moved towards a safe direction before she could issue the command to the group to move there to avoid detection.

It was as though he was blind, he could see as good, if not better, as her Byakugan. She wondered whether this might have something to do with the fact that she couldn't see him until the very last second last night… although she didn't have any time to wonder about it right now.

"What's wrong, Hideo?" Kabuto said.

"Wait," he said as he lifted his right hand.

Through her Byakugan, Hinata couldn't see any reason why they should stop. In fact, she could see the Hidden Village of Cloud already, at the far side of the horizon. If they continued running forward, they would arrive there in no time.

Sakura and Shikamaru both looked at Hinata, who looked back at them with no answers in her eyes.

Hideo jumped forward to the branch of the next tree in front of him.

He lifted his hands up, and yelled strongly.

"_**Kai**_!"

What happened next was something that the rest of the group did not expect. Suddenly, the forest in front of them was distorted, like the forest itself was inside a television screen and the antenna received bad signals.

It happened for quite some time, and the distortion got worse for every passing second.

_Genjutsu_? Sakura muttered inside her mind as she's trying to make sense of what happened in front of her. _On this scale_, _yet none of us managed to detect it_? _Impossible_… _how could that be_…?

Then, the distortion subsided, and the view was gradually recovered to normal.

However, when it was all over, what was there in front of them was not a part of the forest anymore.

In fact, the trees where everybody stood on right now were very close to the edge of a cliff.

Shikamaru leapt forward. He landed on one of the trees located at the very edge of the cliff.

He looked down.

…

……If they did not stop earlier, without a doubt they would jump to nothingness and fell down to the long abyss down below, most probably to their doom or at the very least, grave injuries.

Hinata was dumbfounded. The Hidden Village of Cloud she saw earlier on this direction has suddenly disappeared. She could still the village with her Byakugan, but now it was located on a different direction altogether. She was clearly staggered by this.

"A very impressive Genjutsu," Kabuto mused as he landed next to Shikamaru, "Does that mean that our intrusion has been detected already?"

"No," Hideo said flatly, "It seems that they are very confident in this trap so that they do not post anyone to watch it. At least, I don't sense anyone nearby."

"Yes," Hinata said confirmatively, "There's no one around in this area."

"Well, they have a good reason to be confident, if they can set up a trap this good," Shikamaru said, "Of all six, we five failed to detect it… Whoever set this trap, he or she… or _they_… must be incredibly meticulous and talented."

"Heh," Seto moved forward as well—as he looked towards the cliff, he involuntarily shivered a little, "I never like heights, and I don't like Genjutsu either. A combination of them both is like an insult to me. Whoever did this _really_ pisses me off."

He looked at Kabuto.

"Does this mean that Cloud has sprung many traps like this on the way towards their Village?" he said.

"Most likely," Kabuto nodded, "…No wonder it is difficult for anyone to infiltrate _and_ to escape from Cloud."

He glanced towards Hinata, who looked somewhat discouraged.

"Don't let this one mishap discourage you, girl," he said, "To the extent of my knowledge, although Byakugan is clearly unmatched in terms of its surveillance skills and its ability in seeing Chakra points, unlike Sharingan, it is not exactly suited to spot things like Genjutsu, right?"

Hinata didn't say anything. She didn't even bother to cast her eyes towards Kabuto.

"In any case," Kabuto smiled, "Hideo here, as you can see, is very good at creating and detecting various things such as Genjutsu. You never had the chance to see it with your own eyes, but it was him that set up the Genjutsu that protected our hideout back in the Sand. If it's not because the transmitter hidden inside the fake Raikage, not even the members of the famed Shadow Cloud would be able to find us."

He paused a little.

"And so," he said, "I suggest that for the time being, we let my dearest Hideo here to lead the way until we can reach the Village. We don't want to fall into another deadly trap now, do we?"

"You expect us to just blindly put our faith onto you?" Sakura said incredulously.

"Either way, you don't have any other choice," Kabuto said, "…Well, I suppose you _do _have the choice of going your own way, trusting your instincts and whatnot. However, if that is the way you want it to be, then this is the time that we must part ways with each other. I don't want to be dead before I can get my hands on that cursed Uchiha."

Sakura grumbled inwardly.

She shot her eyes towards Shikamaru.

"Your decision, Shikamaru," she said evenly.

Shikamaru contemplated his options for a while.

"Let's trust them for now," he finally said, "It is too dangerous for us to run blindly here."

"Good call, team leader," Kabuto nodded, "Alright, Hideo. Lead the way."

"Very well," Hideo responded brusquely.

He suddenly jumped northward, and the group immediately followed suit.

…

……

It was unbelievable.

If the blind guy that lead the way was truly trustworthy, then the journey onwards after they have managed to elude the Genjutsu-cliff trap was nothing short of extraordinary. Not because of the views or anything like that, but more to the unbelievable amount of times they had to rearrange their course to avoid the traps that the blind man stated "is right there." And not only Genjutsu-based traps too—there were hidden strings, hidden explosive tags, and assortments of other form of deadly traps as well. Added to the fact that they must also avoid detection from the increasingly frequent patrols, and that they were moving in a group of six instead of the usual three, then the journey was understandably tough and, to borrow Shikamaru's most favorite phrase, _troublesome_.

Sakura even thought that the distance that they have managed to cover so far, if it was just a straight line with no obstacles whatsoever, was actually not that far and could easily be traversed in just perhaps fifteen minutes at the very max. But they were zig-zagging like crazy like now, and it was already almost half an hour and more since the last trap.

…Although that brought something to her thoughts.

The amount of traps spread so far was, for her, frankly quite ridiculous. But why Cloud would be willingly put so many traps around their own village? Wouldn't that make things very difficult for them too? How about supplies? Logistics? Surely no matter how much they didn't want to interact with the outer world, they must in every once in a while got out from the confinement of their wall to gather resources or things like that?

Wouldn't spreading so many deadly traps like that make things unnecessarily difficult? She couldn't even begin to imagine the hassle it would be for a group of ten people or more to maneuver through all these traps if they wanted to get out from Cloud for something, and quadruple that amount of trouble if those people were just civilians…

It was if they were trying not only to prevent outsiders to intrude to their land, but also to prevent their own people… or _something_ from inside their own home… to successfully getting out.

…Although, to be fair, the patrols they have managed to elude so far seemed to be very efficient in their movements so that they wouldn't get caught by the traps set by their own kin. So far, none of the patrols' movement pattern even made a stride closer to any of the traps Sakura and Kabuto's team encountered—although this definitely could be utilized advantageously… just stay close to a certain trap if any of the patrols were nearby, wait for them to move away, and then proceed to avoiding the trap itself when the coast was clear.

Still, it caused Sakura to wonder about it.

Perhaps it got something to do to the fact that they declared open war against both Leaf and Sand?

She couldn't tell for sure, and since there's no viable way to know the answer to it right now, she decided to just keep her own thoughts to herself, even though she wouldn't be surprised if Shikamaru and Hinata were also thinking about the same thing.

…

They were moving to the right, to the left, to the right, to the left, and sometimes they even had to backtrack to avoid being spotted. Sakura could even already see the wall of the village, which to her amazement could clearly be seen although from her gauge the distance from where the group stood and the wall itself was still quite a distance apart, meaning that the wall must be gigantic, most probably even higher than the ones surrounding Konoha.

All of a sudden, Hideo stopped his movement, and the group stopped also before him.

"What's wrong?" Seto raised a question.

"This is the last trap," he said, "I am not sensing anymore trap from this one to the wall in front of us. There's a Genjutsu cast on the ground in front of us, probably hiding some deadly traps set underground. But once we move past this, I don't think there's any more trap."

Shikamaru glanced to Hinata.

"I don't see any patrols nearby," Hinata said confidently, "…If we just move a straight line after evading the trap, I think we will be in a safe cruise to the wall of the village. Although…"

"What?" Sakura inquired.

Hinata shook her head slowly.

"…I don't know," she said, "For some reason, my eyes cannot see beyond the wall. It's very blurry…, like something is hampering my vision. But… I detect a massive amount of fluctuating Chakra… but not on a person, but rather on the wall of the village…"

"Fluctuating Chakra on the wall of the village?" Sakura raised one of her eyebrow.

"Probably a barrier of some sort is erected all around the wall surrounding the village, though I am not sure about the fluctuating Chakra thing," Kabuto muttered, and then for some reason he chuckled, "I don't know the situation in Leaf since I left, but definitely Leaf can learn a thing or two from Cloud on how to safeguard their village from intruders."

"We'll deal with the barrier once we get there," Shikamaru said, "But since it is impossible for them to let us just strut through the front entrance to enter their place, let's find a side of the wall that is unguarded and proceed to enter from there."

"Scaling the wall, eh?" Seto murmured, "Well, it's going to be _fun_ climbing a wall _that_ high."

The group resumed their movement, and this time they were running in a relatively straight line compared to previously. With her Byakugan, Hinata led the group towards a side of the wall that was relatively unguarded, and it didn't take the group too long to get there.

…

……

"Here we are," Sakura said as she stood right in front of the wall of the village, "Finally…"

Everyone looked up.

From this up close, the wall seemed excruciatingly high that it was almost dizzying trying to look for the top. The sight was amazing, and to some effect it was even somewhat demoralizing. It looked like not even the strongest of power could ever hope to crumble the wall—it looked so mighty.

"Hinata, watch around us," Shikamaru said to Hinata, and she nodded.

"I don't see any barrier here," Seto narrowed his eyes towards the surface of the wall, "It looks normal to me."

"…No, something is here," Hideo moved forward, closer to the wall—he erected his hand towards the wall but didn't touch it, only almost, "It's very thin, and barely detectable, but there's a barrier here on the wall. It's covering this entire side, and most probably the entire wall too."

"Barrier?" Kabuto said, "…Detection barrier?"

"No, I doubt it—at the very least… it doesn't feel like one," Hideo replied back as he touched the wall with the palm of his hand, "This is probably why the Hyuuga had difficulties in penetrating her vision over this wall. Funny thing… she's right before that I sense there's a great amount of fluctuating Chakra on this wall, probably the effect of the barrier. I don't have any idea what it's all about though…"

"…I think it's pretty simple," Sakura suddenly moved closer to the wall, "My guess is the barrier was set up for the purpose of preventing anyone… well, anyone like _us_, to be exact, to try scaling the walls on our feet."

"Ah," Hinata had a sudden look of realization on her face, and so did the rest of the group.

"…that makes sense," Shikamaru gave his thought, "Any Ninja would have to focus a stable amount of his chakra to his feet if he's trying to scale this wall of this proportion. But it would be very difficult to do so if something is disrupting and disturbing his Chakra—he would likely lose his footing on the wall and fall back down…"

He sighed.

"What a _troublesome_ barrier…"

"…The Chakra produced by this barrier is very erratic," Hinata said with her Byakugan active, "…It spikes up and spikes down, it's moving around, it's jumping around…… It would be very difficult to maintain a stable amount of Chakra on our feet while something like this is disturbing the flow…"

_The wall was so high too_… she said within her mind. _It would take a while to climb it, and there's no guarantee that there would be no guards stationed on top of it as well_…

"Leader," Hideo turned to Kabuto, "I think we need to find another way in. Throwing rope from below over this wall is impossible, as you can see, because the wall is exceptionally tall. Scaling the wall with our feet is rather impossible too, because it would be exceptionally difficult to maintain a stable chakra to keep our footing on the wall because of the fluctuating Chakra on it."

"So what?" Kabuto smiled, "Are you suggesting that we just barge through the front door?"

"Nonsense," Sakura suddenly said, "If there's a fluctuating Chakra on this wall designed to mess around with the Chakra on our feet… then we just have to adjust the amount of Chakra we give to our feet proportionately to keep our footing stable. It's that simple."

She lifted her right leg and planted it on the wall.

She closed her eyes.

…

……

Around ten minutes later, she opened her eyes and retracted her right leg back on the ground.

"I think I can do this," she said confidently, "I need to constantly change the amount of Chakra on my feet to adjust to the fluctuating Chakra on the wall, but I think I can do this."

"Wow, Sakura-chan!" Seto said, "You can do it?"

She ignored him and turned her attention to Shikamaru and Hinata.

"Give me your ropes," she said, "I will tie them both with mine. Let's just hope that it will be enough once I throw it from the top later."

"Take ours too," Kabuto nodded to Hideo and Seto. They both immediately scurried over their own carrying bags and gave their ropes to Kabuto. Kabuto took his too, and he gave them all to Sakura, "Better to have more than to have less."

Sakura took the ropes brusquely, but she didn't even look at him nor did she say thanks. Not that it bothered Kabuto in the slightest, though…

Hinata and Shikamaru also took their ropes from their bags and gave them to Sakura.

"Thanks," she said this time.

"Put on your radio once you are on top," Shikamaru said as he grabbed his portable radio equipment from inside his bag as well, "Use a safe frequency. Tell us if anything happens of if you see anything up there."

"Okay," Sakura nodded.

"Also," Shikamaru added, "There might be guards stationed up there. Sakura…"

"Yeah, I know," she said evenly with a determined expression on her face, "Don't worry."

She tightened all the ropes the group gave her on her wrist, and looked up.

She closed her eyes again for a while as she once again planted her right leg on the wall.

She opened her eyes, and then she quickly planted her left leg on the wall.

Then she started to walk slowly upwards as both her feet implanted securely on the wall. And then she started running.

…Faster, and… faster.

And off she went, scaling the wall very quickly like it was just another usual everyday business. It didn't take too long for her to become just a tiny speck up there because the wall was indeed ridiculously high.

…

"You look surprised, Hideo," Kabuto smiled as he looked towards his subordinate, "I have never seen your face like now."

"I am," Hideo said straight-forwardly, "I never would have thought that she could do it so easily. What an unnatural Chakra control."

"There's nothing _unnatural_ about it," Shikamaru interjected bluntly with her eyes still looking towards the spot when his eyes last caught Sakura's back, "She's the best Medic Nin in Konoha, it's only natural that she can control her Chakra masterfully."

"The barrier produces very unpredictable and rapid Chakra fluctuations on the wall… To be able to scale a surface influenced by such fluctuations requires Chakra control beyond just 'masterfully'," Hideo replied back as he once again touched the wall with his hand, "If it's just that, even I or Seto here can scale this wall as easily as her. In any case, it doesn't matter," he paused for a bit, "I don't think it would take her too long to reach the top with the rate she showed us before."

…

Sure enough, around five minutes later, suddenly there's a blip on the signal lamp on Shikamaru's radio.

He immediately turned the radio on.

-Bzzt-

-Bzzzt-

"Yes, Sakura?"

-Bzzzt-

-Bzzt-

-Bzz… "…_Shikamaru_?"

Hinata let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes, it's me," Shikamaru said, "How are things up there?"

"_I'm tying up the ropes right now_. _I think it should be enough_…" Sakura replied back through the radio.

"There are no guards up there?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"…_No_," Sakura replied back, "_At least, not on this section of the wall_. _But_, _Shikamaru_……"

Even through the radio, the uneasiness that was contained within Sakura's voice was crystal clear.

"…What's wrong?" Shikamaru said—suddenly he got a bad feeling.

"_The village_……" she said, "_The Hidden Cloud_……"

"What's up with it?" Shikamaru pressed on.

A pause.

…

"_It's_…" Sakura said slowly, "_It was destroyed_……"

-**TO BE CONTINUED**-


	11. Eleventh Episode

-Thank you so very much for **Gravenimage**, **DrendeSalkash**, **Ayesha Samura**, **Bombat1994**, **uzukun7**, **Cecixx19**, **Darth Hawk 32**, and **uzumakisunspydr** for all your reviews last chapter. Sorry for the rather late update…

-If you have any time to spare, **please feel free to post a review for this story**. Tell me what you think of my story, or perhaps you want to ask a few questions? All kinds of feedbacks are more than welcomed.

Best Regards,

**Pizza Blade**

PS: For **Daimyar**, if you are still reading this story, I apologize that I must use the term 'unfathomable expression' again in this chapter. Only one time, though! Thought I give you a little heads-up before you read this, hahaha.

* * *

A Fan-Fiction based on the popular Manga/Anime _Naruto_

Created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto

**Into the Future…**

Written and directed by Pizza Blade

Special honorary thanks to all of my readers and reviewers

-_Eleventh Episode_-

* * *

"_Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose_."—**The Wonder Years**

**

* * *

  
**

-**Hidden Cloud**

"Destroyed?" Shikamaru looked taken aback, "What do you mean _destroyed_?"

What he just said apparently surprised everyone on the scene—even the seemingly always unperturbed Hideo looked a bit startled.

"…_Well_… _not all the Village_…" Sakura responded back through the radio, "_But a good portion of the Village, the one directly below the part of the wall where I stand right now, was destroyed_. _Ruins and rubbles everywhere_… _It's almost like the view when Leaf was attacked by Orochimaru a long time ago_…"

"In any case, Sakura," Shikamaru replied hastily—he wasn't entirely sure what to make about this new discovery, but now's not the appropriate time to stop and think, "Quickly, throw the ropes. It's not good for us to stay any longer than necessary out here."

"…" a pause, before, "…_Right_, _sorry_…"

The radio connection disconnected shortly thereafter.

Around five minutes passed, before Shikamaru and the others could see something was coming from above. It was an exceptionally long string of ropes made from multiple ropes strung together at each end. It would appear Sakura also used some sort of Chakra manipulation to strengthen the bind in-between the ropes.

The string of ropes did not manage to reach all the way to the ground however, although it was low enough so that it's reachable by the rest of the entourage with only a modest Chakra-enhanced jump necessary.

"…_Is it enough_?" Sakura said by the radio.

"It's enough," Shikamaru responded, "Make sure you keep it secured up there, Sakura. Also, do not lose focus on your surroundings."

"…_Got it_," Sakura replied back.

"Hinata, you go first," Shikamaru gave a signal to Hinata.

"Okay," the Hyuuga heir nodded.

She gathered a moderate amount of Chakra on her feet, before jumping high to reach the end of the rope.

She managed to get a hold at the end part of the ropes with her right hand, and quickly used her left hand to get a hold of the ropes as well. She slammed both her legs towards the walls, and once she got a stable footing, she began to start the long climb up.

"One of you go first," Shikamaru looked towards Kabuto's group, "I reckon you don't want all of us going up first for fear that we might cut the rope, right?"

"How very noble of you," Seto said without looking at Shikamaru, while Kabuto just smirked.

He jumped up, and not too long after, just like Hinata, he began the ascension. It didn't take long for him to become just a tiny speck all the way up there.

"I'm next," Hideo said nonchalantly, and without even giving any opportunity for both Shikamaru and Kabuto to say anything, he jumped towards the end of the jointed ropes. He almost didn't make it, but he quickly planted both his Chakra-enhanced legs towards the wall and ran up a bit to grab the ropes.

He quickly climbed the ropes, and it didn't take too long also for his back to become just a tiny dot up in the high altitude.

…

"…Go ahead," Shikamaru said when Kabuto was looking at him questioningly.

Kabuto smiled a little. He gathered his Chakra onto his feet, and then jumped towards the end of the ropes. Something then happened that greatly surprised Shikamaru—if only he could really believe his eyes. At first it would appear that Kabuto's jump was not as high as he thought would be, because he couldn't reach the end of the ropes.

…But then it would _seem_ that he jumped _again_ in mid-air, and that gave him the necessary height to grab the end of the ropes. He then started to ascend the walls up without looking back.

Shikamaru didn't move for a while after Kabuto was way up there.

"……was he just…" he muttered to himself, his expression looked totally bewildered, "…_double jump_ in the mid-air?"

But that's just impossible… he had never heard someone ever performed consecutive jumps in mid-air where the only footing available was empty air… So perhaps he just imagined it? Maybe it's just his eyes playing trickery on him? Perhaps it was because the sun?

He couldn't stop thinking about it, although he knew that like before, now wouldn't be a good time to stop and think.

He shook his head, trying to concentrate.

"…First thing first…" he muttered to himself again.

He gathered Chakra onto his feet, and took a few steps back away from the wall. Once he felt the Chakra was enough, he ran towards the wall and jumped towards the end of the ropes.

Thankfully, he managed to get a hold of it rather easily.

Sighing in relief, he grabbed the ropes strongly and began his long ascension climbing the high wall.

* * *

-**???**

He opened his eyes.

…Slowly.

…

…How long has he been asleep?

……How long has he been inside the state of unconsciousness?

…

He didn't even realize the situation he's in right now, and he was surprised to realize that his body didn't even move in the slightest when he tried to move. His entire body felt very sore, numb, and very stiff… it was like they were all have not yet moved for a very long time.

And when he persisted in trying to move, his head was screaming with pain because he felt a sensation like his entire body all the way from the top of his hair to the bottom of his toes was struck by uncountable amount of very sharp needles.

Moreover, to his greater surprise, he found that he couldn't even move his mouth to speak up the pain. He found that he didn't even have the energy to move his jaw, and that he couldn't find any energy to move any part of his body even in the slightest.

…

…_Where am I?_, he muttered inside his mind, and immediately afterwards, he felt unbelievably nauseated.

Even the act of just speaking inside his head seemingly required an obscene amount of energy. The insides of his head were very blur and dizzying, like someone just smacked his head very strongly with thick steel.

…

He tried to get a focus on the situation he's in right now, and where he was.

And when he finally got a clue about it, to say that he was very shocked was a very severe understatement.

From what he could gather from his limited movements (he could not even move his head freely), he was currently inside some sort of… tank, or a huge confined glass, and drowned inside a yellowish liquid which he had never seen before in his entire life. His entire body was suspended in the middle of the tank, and shockingly it was done by seemingly innumerable amount of transparent cables inserted forcefully into his body in various spots; both his hands, his stomach, his back, both his legs, and he could even feel one at the back of his head as well… meanwhile his face was covered by what would appear to be a breathing-aid device.

…

……So was that he felt all weird before when he tried his move his body? …Because someone inserted cables into his body? When he glanced down at the cables inserted into his stomach, slightly above his abs, he could see that something reddish was flowing inside it—his first thought that it was blood being drained out from him, but then he realized that wasn't the case.

If truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure what was that getting drained out inside the cables. Besides the fact that it was reddish, he couldn't really see it well because not only he was drowned in a yellowish liquid, his eyes were still somewhat fuzzy as well. All that he knew was that for some reason he felt exceptionally tired, and he suspected that it was definitely got something to do with all the cables draining… something… out of him.

…He tried to get a look at the room outside the big glass he's in right now. From what he could see, it was just an ordinary spacious room, with numerous foreign-looking machines set up inside it in numerous spots, plus a chair and a table where numerous important-looking documents were lying. He could see that his big glass was connected to some of machines, and the cables were connected to some of them as well.

…

He had no idea what to figure from all the things he could see so far…

……All he knew was he felt exceptionally tired…

…So very tired…

……And very sleepy……

It's like nothing would be more tempting right now than to just close his eyes…… perhaps with that he could just…

…Slip away or something…

…

He looked down, his eyes were heavy. They were so very heavy…

_Tired_…

…He's so very tired with _everything_……

…

"Well," suddenly a voice came out, a voice that suddenly snapped him back to reality, a voice that suddenly snapped him out of his attempt to just rest, "…This is quite a surprise. It seems that finally you are able to wake up…"

He quickly lifted his face up.

And when he did, through the glass, he could see someone standing inside the room. In front of him, right in front of him…

Someone…

…

"Hey Naruto," Sasuke gave off a smile, "How are you doing?"

* * *

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes.

…

In front of him, stood the person that he once, and still, thought as his own brother, his own family. It was the person that he knew that once became the most important person to the one that he loved.

His features had changed. After all these years, he had changed. He seemed to be taller, much taller compared to when Naruto saw him last time. His hair got longer, all the way down to his shoulders. His face has changed too—he looked more adult, more grown up. It was a face that has felt everything, has seen everything.

But no matter how much he changed, Naruto knew for absolute certainty that it was him. From the first second the blonde Jounin laid his eyes upon the person in front of him, he knew exactly that it was him.

…The one person he thought he could never see again.

……His former comrade…

……His long lost friend…

Uchiha Sasuke……

…

Sasuke smiled as Naruto, from within the big glass, was staring at him. He walked towards the one and only chair on the room and picked it up with one hand. He put the chair right in front of the big glass Naruto's in, and promptly sat there, both his legs and his arms crossed.

He was staring directly at Naruto in the eyes, his expression unfathomable.

"You must be very surprised," Sasuke said after he didn't say anything for some while, "…About all of this."

For some reason, he looked solemn.

…And perhaps, even sad. His face was like a person that tried to contain all the pain inside himself, trying to withhold it so that all the emotions did not pour out uncontrollably for all the world to see.

"…It has never been my intention that everything ends this way," he said quietly, "With you… like this, Naruto. Although now I image it would be way too late to say something like that. Regardless…" he added, "I will tell you everything right now. It will not be enough to make amends, but at the very least I should do this because you truly deserve to know, Naruto."

Sasuke leaned forward for a bit and touched the outer part of the big glass with his fingertips. Naruto's eyes were following Sasuke's every move, and flashes of helplessness were clear on his face because the fact that the person he's been searching for his entire life was there so close to him, so very near him, yet he couldn't do anything about it.

Sasuke let his fingers stayed on the outer part of the big glass for quite a while, before he retracted his hand back and returned to his original position.

"…When Akatsuki was defeated by the combined effort of Konoha and its allies, I, along with the rest of my most trusted people, went for hiding. We were trying to regroup, gathering again our strengths in order to strike again against Konoha. Yes…" he muttered, "Even the elimination of Akatsuki did not waive our intention… _my_ intention to seek revenge against my former home."

"…We went from place to place, seeking a place where we could rest our wary legs and bodies while recollecting our strengths and planning our next move. Unfortunately, no country was willing to accept us because of our ties with Akatsuki. Worse, some of them event went as far as trying to eliminate us, the last remnants of the organization that managed to nearly make the entire Shinobi world to collapse."

Sasuke sighed.

"…At first we wondered how could all of them possibly knew about our relationship with Akatsuki," he continued, "But then again we found out that Konoha has spread information about us to every country in this world… information about the last of the Akatsuki that managed to escape during the destruction of the main group. Information that disallow us entry to any decent place left in this world. It's like Konoha were just spitting in our faces just for the fun of it…" he laughed a little, "But it didn't matter for us. If there's no place willing to accept us, than we were content in just finding a place of our own. It didn't matter that in order to do that we had to stay in a secluded place, far from civilization, disconnected from the rest of the world. As long as we could still breathe, it didn't matter on what surface we slept, or what things me must ate to survive. We were so determined in our cause, we even believed that we still had the opportunity to wreck havoc in Konoha regardless the fact that we didn't have the strength of Akatsuki again to back us up."

Sasuke's expression suddenly turned grim.

"We were always on the move, trying to evade all the assassins sent by many countries hell bent on destroying us because of what Akatsuki members had done to them in the past," he said, "But we always managed to outdo them. On the times when we couldn't avoid fighting, we always managed to eliminate the assassins before they could do anything to us. We regained our confidence… we thought that no one could ever hope to destroy us. But then, in the end, the one that managed to deliver a fatal blow to us was someone that I thought I would never see again in my entire life."

Sasuke clenched his fist.

"…Yakushi… Kabuto," he looked angry, "He's still alive, and he sought revenge for what I did to his cursed master a long time ago. Since I last met him, he had managed to secure some very powerful allies to help him in his cause, allies that would gladly give their life for the sole purpose of killing me. He found out our hiding place, and attacked us. It was a battle that cost my group dearly—two of my most trusted men were killed, while I and the last member of our group named Karin managed to escape their clutches. It was a battle that I would not be able to forget for my entire life… Because of their unusual Chakras, even my Sharingan couldn't……"

He paused for a moment, before continuing,

"Anyway," he said, "…The battle reminded me that I wasn't just strong enough to be able to fulfill my desire of crushing Konoha under my palms…"

Naruto twitched a little when he heard that, something that seemingly escaped Sasuke's attention because he kept talking,

"I came to a realization that no matter how strong I am, I still need powerful allies not only to do that, but also to get rid of the new powerful threat that emerged in the form of Kabuto," Sasuke continued, "So, while both of us, me and Karin, running around from places to places to escape anyone trying to kill us, we both kept looking for a plan, for an opportunity that would get us to our objectives. Yes, even with just us two, we never had any intention to succumb to the hardships and whatever fate thrown to us."

"…And then, just by pure luck, or maybe even fate, the opportunity shown itself up to us," he added, "We heard something very interesting during our nomadic life together. We heard that there's been a civil war erupting inside Hidden Cloud because the previous Raikage was assassinated by someone with ambition to become the next leader of the place. The village itself became the battleground between those who supported the previous Raikage and those who backed this new ambitious man, a man with the name of Amagi Hiroshi. In the end, the one that won was the men behind the bloody coup. Their victory was swift, because Amagi did not only manage to vanquish those who still loyal to the previous Raikage to the point where they could no longer a feasible threat, he even managed to turn the fearsome Hidden Cloud's elites, the Shadow Cloud, to his side. And not only that, he managed also to bewitch the heart of the previous Raikage's daughter, a woman by the name of Hinomuya Tatsuki. I believed you have met her before in Sand, Naruto. She's the one masquerading as the Raikage of the Sand during the meeting. I must say though, the blood of a Kage truly ran inside her veins—she knew how to act as a Kage very properly… she even managed to fool you three and the Kazekage at the same time. With the blessings from the very daughter of the man he killed himself, more and more people began to admit him as the legitimate ruler of the Hidden Cloud."

Sasuke took a deep breath, before continuing,

"We heard that this new ruler, this Amagi person, is a man with unquenchable thirst for conquest… a man with an insatiable desire to rule over all, to become the most powerful Leader of a most powerful nation in the world," he said, "…And so, I approached him—which was no easy task in itself, mind you. I approached him with the offer of a promise, a promise that would let him attain his goal, his goal to become number one in the world of Shinobi. Unlike any other leaders, he didn't reject us when he found out that we were the last remnants of the Akatsuki—in fact, it made him even more interested in us, how members of what has been widely known as the most powerful and the most dangerous Ninja group ever existed were trying to offer him something, trying to strike a bargain with him. He listened to us."

Sasuke pointed to his eyes.

"I offered him this," he said, "Sharingan. The last Sharingan in the world, I offered this to him. Cloud would have what was once known as one of Konoha's most powerful weapon, the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan. The clan that was once annihilated will be reborn again, and this time under the servitude for Cloud."

Even though Naruto was inside the big glass, he could clearly hear all the things that Sasuke said to him. And what he just said struck his heart painfully—Sasuke never really did ever intend to return to Konoha. He knew that… somewhere deep inside him, he knew that… but Naruto's still always chasing him… still forfeiting the thought of possibility that his friend would forever lost…

…

……

"Servitude from the last Uchiha, with the promise of the future Uchiha Clan would serve under Cloud was clearly enough to intrigue the man," Sasuke continued evenly, "…But he wanted more. He wanted _more_. He said to me that the moment has never been better for him to try on a conquest war against Konoha, seeing that Konoha and its allies were still reeling from the after-effects of the Legendary War. Besides, he needed a war as something that not only could satisfy his lust for conquest, but also to serve as a distraction for the people of the Cloud. He needed a common enemy to fight so that he could unite all Cloud under him. You see, even though he won the battle against those still loyal to the previous Raikage he assassinated, the voices of dissent could still be heard clearly amongst the people of the Cloud because of his method of coup. He needed to appear as a trustworthy and commendable leader, a better leader compared to the one he assassinated in order to forever silence doubting voices… and what better way to show that but to conquer the most powerful country in the world?"

"But even he realized that even in its weakened state, Konoha could still become a very formidable enemy… particularly because the man who became the Hokage after the death of the Fifth was none other than the Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi himself, a man world-famous for his strengths, intelligence, and his cunning. Moreover, there's the problem of the Sand as well, because they certainly wouldn't just stay quiet if their closest ally were to be in danger," Sasuke said, "_Plus_, the people of the Cloud themselves were tired of conflicts themselves because of the civil war that transpired after the Coup attempt. Should he attempt to drag the Village to a war without a proper and justifiable cause, then he would risk losing the support from the people."

"He then told me this: he would be willing to accept me into Cloud _only if_ I could bring him just that: a war with Konoha and possibly Sand in which Cloud couldn't possibly lose. As a former Konoha Ninja and a person heavily involved in Konoha affairs, he expected me to know some sort of Konoha's shortcomings that Cloud could manipulate in order to emerge triumphantly," Sasuke said, "I must say, his request were really difficult even for me. For quite a while, I couldn't even think of something… finding a justifiable cause to go to a war against Konoha in which Cloud couldn't lose…"

…

Sasuke looked Naruto directly in the eyes.

"And then…" he smiled, "I remembered you, Naruto."

* * *

**-Hidden Cloud**

"…Here you go," Hinata lent a helping hand to Shikamaru once he finally managed to climb to the topmost of the wall.

"Thanks," Shikamaru grabbed her hand—he then jumped over and landed promptly on the floor.

"Shikamaru," Sakura that stood a few meters in front of him was beckoning him, "Look at that. That is what I want you to see."

Shikamaru quickly approached her.

…

From where he and everybody stood right now, on the edge of the topmost section of the wall, they could see a very clear overview of perhaps nearly all parts of the village. The village looked very enormous in size, quite probably even larger compared to even Konoha. It was an astonishing view, with buildings and houses seemingly spanning for forever into the far distance.

"It's…" Hinata looked genuinely taken aback, "It's very huge…"

"Well…" Kabuto muttered, "It seems that no matter what they do, they're doing it quite well."

"Shikamaru," Sakura said urgently with her finger pointed down to a direction, "Look down there."

Shikamaru immediately followed Sakura's direction.

There, he saw it… something very unusual and very contrast to the rest of the village that they could see from up here… A good chunk of the village was destroyed. Ruins, rubbles, and smokes were everywhere. It was strange though, it was as if the damages contained to just one section of the village only.

Regardless, whatever's destroying that part of the village… it must be very powerful indeed to be able to cause damage on such a scale.

"What do you make of that?" Sakura said, "Do you think it's got something to do with why we're here?"

Shikamaru did not answer for a while. He seemed to be thinking.

"There are still some people there," Hinata said with her Byakugan active—it seemed like now since she's already on top of the wall, the barrier set up on it did not impede her sight anymore, "…Almost all appear to be civilians, or dressing like civilians, with some that I would think are Cloud Ninja patrols. It's strange though… the movement of the civilians…"

"What of it?" Hideo inquired.

"It is as if they are trying their best to evade the patrols…" Hinata explained, "…They're hiding from them. But their movements… they're doing their hiding in a very coordinated way. They do not move like just some mere civilians. It is as if they are… trained people."

"Hmm…" Seto muttered, "That _is _interesting."

"Do you have perhaps some ideas?" Kabuto asked Shikamaru.

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Perhaps, but I am not so sure," he said flatly, "Regardless, we would not be able to know what's going on unless we're going there ourselves."

"Shikamaru," Sakura cut sharply, "Do you really think it would be wise to us to go there? We might get ourselves involved in business that does not have anything to do with our objectives."

"We might, we might not," Shikamaru said without looking at her, "Our one and only ally in this village for this moment is the Konoha spy, and even that is unreliable, because we obviously do not know what has happened to her. We need to gather information, and the best way to do that is to befriend a Cloud's native as soon as possible."

"Y… you are saying that we need to approach one of those people trying to hide?" Hinata asked, "Do you think it will be okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "The fact alone that they're trying to hide from the patrols suggests that they're not friends with the authorities here. If we play our cards right, we might be able to gather some information from them. But we need to be careful not to let our being here is known to the patrols. First thing first, we need to get down there."

"I see a set of stairs leading down not too far over there," Seto pointed his finger to the east, "It seems unguarded. It's pretty strange though, that this section of the wall seems to be deliberately left unguarded."

"I don't really understand it myself, but let us use every opportunity we can get," Shikamaru said, "Come on, let's go."

Sakura looked she had some misgivings about this, but she didn't say anything in the end. The group then moved to the stairs leading down that Seto pointed out, and with it they went for the mysteriously destroyed section of the Hidden Cloud village.

* * *

**- ???**

The only sound inside the room were the sound of the machines humming softly against the stillness of the air, and the bubbles that emerged occasionally from within the liquid-filled big glass in which Naruto was drowned.

Naruto and Sasuke were staring into each other's eyes.

It was as if through their eyes, they were communicating with each other, communicating many things that not even a million words could describe.

…

"…I remembered about you, Naruto… or specifically, _the thing_ inside you," Sasuke said, "The only tailed Bijuu left in the world, the only Jinchuuriki left alive in this world… the only one that managed to escape from Akatsuki's grasp. If I could offer also that power to the Cloud, there's no way Amagi would be not willing to accept me into his ranks. And thus, I came to him… I proposed a plan to him… a plan that would not only give him a war against Konoha, but also a war where Cloud could not lose. It was a plan that would bring us the ownership of the last great power of the strongest Bijuu in this world. Naturally, just as predicted, although not without some misgivings from his part, he was interested in this plan."

Sasuke took a breather for a while, before adding,

"And not only that, this plan would also help me eliminate the thorn that is Yakushi Kabuto," he said, "I explained my situation to Amagi, and he agreed to help me eliminate Kabuto's group insofar I kept my promise of bringing him the things I promised to him. He event went as far as wanting to join in the plan himself, to witness from close range just how effective my plan would be—he's a reckless man, to be sure… confident, strong, but reckless. In a way, he actually is somewhat similar to you, Naruto. We had some trouble because of him insisting to come; we needed to make sure that nobody knew he's gone, and we needed to find someone trustworthy to act as his voice while he's away."

"We then began the beginning phases of our… of my… plan. I knew that there are some Orochimaru's spies lurking in the Cloud, and I deliberately spread the information about my whereabouts in Cloud so that it would reach their ears. I had hoped that they would relay that information to Kabuto, and turned out they did exactly that. The next step is to fabricate and spread out a story about a Shadow Cloud member betraying the group because of loyalty to the previous Raikage. We chose the youngest member of the group, a young woman by the name of Tsukahime Kaede. She was chosen not only because of her abilities of information gathering, but also because of her fierce loyalty to Amagi. We gave her the task of infiltrating Kabuto's group and sending us information about their actions and movements periodically."

"As expected, Kabuto approached Tsukahime once we sent her out from Cloud. The possibility of gaining the cooperation of a former Shadow Cloud member would be too good to ignore for him once he heard the news that I am under Cloud. Once she successfully got into the group, we laid low for a while. We didn't move while she kept sending us information about Kabuto's group—their movements, their numbers, and the abilities of their members. We needed some time so that she could gain their trust. Unfortunately, however, we couldn't exactly pinpoint the group's exact location because just like his former master, Kabuto was always on the move—he never stayed in the same location any longer than what was absolutely necessary. This made him particularly difficult to track."

"But no matter, because my plan was to bring him to _us_," Sasuke said, "…In any case, once we thought the time was enough, we began to initiate the second part of my plan… Ah, but maybe you want to hear something very interesting first: around the same time we were about to launch the second phase of the plan, Tsukahime sent us information about perhaps Kabuto's most interesting experiment. Apparently, he managed to create an artificial human being, a Homunculus. Not only this Homunculus has the intelligence of a normal human being, he also fitted _it_ with the ability to use some sort of an extremely deadly poison that would render any Shinobi, no matter how powerful, to become useless very quickly. It was a poison Tsukahime said Kabuto developed himself. She managed to obtain a sample of this poison and sent it to us. To say that Cloud's scientists were deeply impressed by that sample was a very huge understatement—they were in awe. They said they had never seen a substance so dangerous and deadly before, and it took them a very long time before they could find the counter antidote for it. Thank goodness they were able to do it, because without it me and along with the others would have been killed during the meeting in the Sand. Also, Sakura would have been dead as well."

Naruto twitched again, and Sasuke just smiled.

He crossed his legs again before continuing,

"…The second phase of our plan," Sasuke said, "We sent a letter to Sand about Cloud's willingness to form an alliance with them. We deliberately did not send any letter to the Leaf because we knew it would aggravate Konoha. The best part about it was, as a response, Leaf sent _you_, Naruto, to the Sand. I just _knew_ that Konoha would send you seeing that you have a particularly strong relationship with the Kazekage of the Sand, the former host of the two-tails. This made the objective of getting you into our hands became much easier because you wouldn't have Kakashi protecting you from up close."

"When the time comes, we sent Hinomuya to the Sand," he continued, "She's about to play the role as the Raikage of the Cloud. There's a reason why we put so many security with patrols and traps everywhere around the Cloud, Naruto—it's to prevent the possibility of anyone from within Cloud to get out and spread the information about her not the real Raikage during the commencing of the plan. Most of the Cloud's citizens did not know nor they cared about it—we told them that the extra measures of security was necessary because we needed to prevent outsiders to know about the recent civil wars that erupted after the successful coup attempt. If the outsiders ever found out about it, they might be tempted to strike against the Village. It wasn't an outright lie, Naruto, although it wasn't the entire truth either. Most importantly, the villagers bought that reasoning. And it's not only for those things also…, one of the main reasons why the security was so tight was that to prevent Kabuto to enter the Village itself, leaving him with no options but to _act_ during Raikage's visit to the Sand if he wanted to gain entry to this place."

For some reason, Sasuke suddenly laughed a little.

"It's amazing, the power of love," he said with an amused face, "It is capable of bringing forth even the darkest sides of human beings. Not only did Hinomuya was willing to betray his father because of his love for Amagi, she was also willing to sacrifice her life for him without questions. When she was told that by agreeing to play as Raikage during the meeting in Sand she would risk her own life, she didn't waste any time to just accept the duty just because it was for the sake of the man she loved. Anyway… what happened next in the Sand you already knew, Naruto. It was our intention from the beginning to let Hinomuya got kidnapped by Kabuto. We implanted a Chakra-concealed transmitter inside her so that we would be able to track her location at all times. Once he got her, all we needed to do was to follow the signal sent by the transmitter to find his hiding place near Sand's border. Me, along with Amagi, and the Shadow Cloud members we brought with us finally managed to find his hideout, and we attacked them in full force."

Sasuke looked annoyed.

"Regrettably, he managed to escape with two of his subordinates," he said grimly, "But it didn't matter, because he didn't have anything else to depend on right now. We destroyed everything inside his hideout—his experiments, his men, his test subjects, his documents—we annihilated all… save for one: the Homunculus he created. We subdued _it_ before we brought it here—it was something very fascinating even for the brightest of scientists here. I heard that they're trying to recreate something similar like that using it as the blueprint… Whatever, it doesn't interest me in the slightest."

He paused for a moment, before continuing,

"Kabuto using the Homunculus to attack the meeting hall where the Kazekage and Hinomuya talked was something of a blessing for us," he said, "We originally intended to use other means to disable the Kazekage and the men inside there, as well as Konoha Jounins that we expected would be there to help safeguard the meeting, but his Homunculus did that job wonderfully. It managed to kill or otherwise made unconscious everyone there, making our job much, much easier. We already drank the antidotes beforehand, so its poison didn't affect us as much, and we managed to regain our consciousness rather quickly. It was as such that we didn't even have to do anything to get _you_, Naruto. We were originally planning to subdue you by force, but coincidentally you were so distracted by Sakura's well-being that you didn't pay any heed to your surroundings—all I needed to do was to inject you with a specialized kind of paralyzing substances while you foolishly let your guard down, and you're ours for the taking. "

"…Some of our men sacrificed themselves so that it would appear that the Shadow Cloud members that came with Hinomuya were also killed during the attack," he said, "Hinomuya herself must be dead so that it would appear that the Raikage was murdered during her visit to the Sand. Thankfully, we did not have to soil our hands for that—Kabuto killed her with his own hands when he found out that she wasn't the real Raikage and she got transmitter implanted within her."

Sasuke leaned back.

"The plans were finally completed," Sasuke said, "We have captured the last Jinchuuriki, and under the pretense that the daughter of the last Raikage was murdered by both Sand and Leaf when she was sent to Sand to establish an alliance, Amagi got himself the support he needed to wage a war. More importantly, he was able to quench the sounds that still helplessly tried to remind the citizen that he came into power by performing a bloody coup. Once an united enemy was found, he could use it to distract the public's attention to somewhere else, while looking all dependable and strong at the same time. The best part about it was that no one could truly finger Cloud as the one responsible for what happened in Sand—all blames belonged to Yakushi Kabuto, and Kabuto only."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"It was all just child's play, Naruto," he smiled, "Child's play."

* * *

-**Hidden Cloud**

Impossible, the man thought to himself.

It was just plain impossible.

He knew that his attention was onto something else, and so he didn't really pay attention to his surroundings, but nevertheless he couldn't believe it.

He couldn't believe that someone could actually sneak behind him while he was hidden in all these rubbles trying to hid himself. He couldn't believe someone was actually able to sneaking without him knowing and then putting a Kunai over his neck, saying softly,

"Do not move," the sneaker said, "I am not going to hurt you. Just don't scream, don't do anything suspicious. If you do that, I will release you unhurt. Understand?"

The man didn't answer for a while. His first thought that he was caught unaware by his enemies… but then again, he thought, if he were to be caught by _those people_, they wouldn't waste any time saying stuff like 'Do not move' or 'I am not going to hurt you.' _Those people_ went straight for the kill—they didn't pretend nor did they ever show any mercy.

So, who's the person behind him right now?

Moreover, he didn't actually sense any overflowing killing intent like the usual people when he witnessed _them_ killing any of his comrades.

What to do? What to do?

"Come on," said the voice behind him, "Please don't make this any more difficult that it really should."

…And _they_ would **never** say please.

"…Okay," the man finally decided in the end.

"Very good," the sneaker sighed in relief. He then let go of his Kunai and the man's neck was still as good as before.

The man wasted no time to whirl around, and what he saw there surprised him very greatly.

Because he didn't just see one person standing behind him—he saw six people in total! How group of six _possibly_ could possibly sneak behind him in all these rubbles undetected!

He gazed at them one by one. The group was consisting of four men and two women. They dressed like civilians, but the fact alone that they managed to sneak up on him clearly suggested that in this case, the cover really didn't describe the book. His first instinct was that they're Ninjas, but that was impossible because he had never seen before in his entire life—and foreign Ninjas did not have any business in Cloud, surely, and it would be impossible anyway to penetrate into the Village with Genjutsu traps and the like practically spread every inch of the way outside there. But his gut told him that they're outsiders……

He knew that he's in no position to act like he's the one in charge here, but he couldn't help it.

"Who are you people?" the man asked suspiciously, one of his eyebrows raised.

"Well," answered the man that put the Kunai on his neck just before, "I am not sure that you can call us your friends, but we're definitely not your enemies. What's your name?"

"…Huh?" the man looked stupefied.

"He just asked you your name," said one of the women with the pink hair.

"Ah, oh…" he stuttered, "Tora… Tora. Shiranui Tora."

"Alright, Shiranui-san," said the sneaker, "Can you tell me what's going on in here? How come only a section of the village here getting destroyed like this? What happened?"

"…_Huh_?" Tora looked stupefied again.

His suspicions about those six coming from outside was immediately reinforced. Because not a soul in the Cloud that did not know what has happened on this particular part of the village… for them to have absolutely no idea about it, the only explanation left was that they're coming from outside the walls.

He gazed again at the six people one by one.

From what he could see, three people out of six looked particularly… how could he put it…… they looked particularly not dangerous; the man that just sneaked up on him, as well as the two other women in the group. The way they positioned themselves—how they were trying to be as close as possible to each other—suggested that perhaps they're coming from the same place originally.

The other three, however… One was a bald man that, for whatever reason, closing his eyes for no apparent reason. The other one was a young man with a wild feature on him, the kind of guy who could fill in the stereotype look of those that acted first thinking later very fittingly. Tora could feel that they were different from the other three—they were dangerous. One look at them and he knew that they weren't the kind of people who he could trust no matter what.

The last person however, took the cake. He hasn't speak anything yet, and he gave off a friendly smile, but just one glance at him and something immediately warned Tora that of all six people in front of him this man was obviously the most dangerous one—perhaps also the strongest. Tora couldn't really explain it well, but he got a very disturbing feeling about the man… he even got this weirdest of feelings that the person he's looking at right now…… might not be a person at all……

…

He contemplated his options.

…although he realized he didn't have too many options to begin with.

"…A man named Amagi Hiroshi did this," Taro glanced to his surroundings, "By his order this section of the Village was destroyed."

"Amagi Hiroshi?" said the bald man.

"Uh… most people here would call him our Raikage," Taro said, "Although by all means he is most definitely everything _but_ our Raikage."

"Raikage?" the sneaker looked a bit perplexed, "…Wait a minute. Did not you know that the Raikage was supposedly killed by Leaf and Sand?"

Taro looked confused.

"What? No," he said, "The one that got killed by Leaf and Sand was the daughter of the previous Raikage… she got killed when she was trying to negotiate an alliance between Cloud and Sand. It caused a lot of rage from the people here when they got the news that she was killed… the honor of the Village or something like that. Her name was Hinomuya Tatsuki-san."

Taro could have sworn that the pink haired woman amongst the group looked very surprised when he mentioned that name, though he couldn't really understand the reason why.

"…I see…" the sneaker appeared to be thinking for a while.

He then looked up to Taro and asked,

"Say," he said, "…Why would the Raikage ordered only this section of the Village to be destroyed?"

"Well…" Taro muttered—he didn't know why, but he found to his own oddity that he felt like he could trust this guy speaking to him right now. It was very strange to have that kind of feeling, seeing that this guy had his Kunai over his neck just a while ago, "…Most probably because for quite a while there has been rumors about the hidden headquarters of the Rebels is located here… that the people that stayed in this section of the Village were all members of the Rebels or collaborating with the Rebels. That's why that wicked man ordered the destruction of this part of the Village."

"…It's getting destroyed like this…" said the other women of the group, "…J…just because of _that_?"

"Yes—well, he is a cold-blooded guy," Taro looked towards her. What's with her eyes? They looked so terribly weird—they looked all white, and it seemed that something odd was happening to the surrounding areas of her eyes…… But wait, he seemed to be remembering something about people with white eyes…, "It's not that the people of the Village were comfortable with it, but he went with it anyway saying that the rebels must be stopped with full force lest they would cause disturbances in this direst of times when we are facing a war with both Leaf and Sand."

…People with white eyes…… he seemed to have heard someone mentioning something about it once…

"You are saying Rebels…" said the sneaker again, "I assume you are a member of the Rebels? Are the Rebels those that are still loyal to the previous Raikage?"

"Huh…? Oh yeah, uh-huh," Tora was still pre-occupied by the white eyes he was a bit surprised when he's getting addressed again, "They said that the Raikage was assassinated by Amagi Hiroshi when he took over by force, but we believed that the Raikage was still alive—he was only being kept captive in a secret place…"

"…really…" the sneaker muttered slowly.

"What are you doing here anyways?" the pink-haired woman spoke out again, "Why would members of the Rebels still lurking in a destroyed place like this anyway?"

"Well…" Taro looked flustered—this woman was very beautiful, and he couldn't sense the same kind of danger about her the way he felt about those other three guys, yet for some reason he felt kind of intimated by her presence… it was like he's in front of someone very famous, for some reason, "Amagi Hiroshi destroyed this place because he thought that the hidden headquarter of the Rebels is in here. He's correct about it, although what he doesn't know that the headquarter is located hidden deep underground," he looked somewhat satisfied when he said that, "Occasionally, he sent Ninja patrols to survey this area. They were under orders to capture or even kill _anyone_ they encounter on this part of this Village, because just by being here someone is automatically considered as a member of the Rebels."

"Are they still here, Hinata?" the pink haired woman said to the woman with the strange white eyes.

"No," the woman called Hinata replied back, "They're away right now. For the moment, I can't see any patrols roaming the area… We're safe for now."

_What_? Taro muttered inside his mind. _How could she know that? It is as if she could see the entire area of this Village with her eyes_…

…_Wait_…

……_White eyes_…

………_The ability to see a large area instantaneously_……

…

!!!

"Well, the patrols are away," said the one that Taro felt to be the most dangerous, "…But it seems like we get some new friends coming,"

Sure enough, a split second later, suddenly the group was surrounded by around ten people jumping from several directions at the same time. They looked civilians, but their movements clearly suggested that they're anything but civilians.

They all looked alert, and they're surrounding the group with their Kunais up, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Taro," said one of the guys that just arrived, "Who are these people?"

"Are they Amagi's?" said the other, he appeared ready to attack.

"Wait! Wait!" Taro suddenly said with both his arms raised, "Wait! They're not Amagi's!"

"How can you be so sure?" said one of the arriving guys suspiciously.

"…You," Taro pointed his finger towards Hinata, "That White Eyes… that's Byakugan isn't it? Byakugan of Konoha?"

The ones that just arrived looked startled, some looked downright shocked.

"You know of it?" said the young guy with the wild aura about him.

"Of course," Taro replied immediately, "…The story of the White Eye is widely known throughout the people of Cloud because of a certain incident a long time ago. One of our previous Raikages tried to kidnap one of members of the Hyuuga Clan of Konoha, trying to steal the secrets of Byakugan. He failed, and that incident caused quite a stir for Cloud and Leaf's relationship back then."

Hinata looked uncomfortable, but she didn't deny it.

"Lower your weapons guys," Taro said to his friends, "They're not our enemies."

His friends slowly lowered their Kunais, although some of them clearly still looked somewhat apprehensive.

"Follow me," Taro said, "I'll bring you to our secret headquarter."

"Is it wise, Shiranui-san?" said one of his friends, his face looked very concerned, "We just met with this people. Are you sure that they can be trusted?"

"I'll take responsibility for it," Taro nodded confidently, "Besides, I know that Saki-san would want to meet her fellow comrades coming from such a distance away."

"Saki," the sneaker said immediately, "Do you mean Hironobu Saki?"

Taro looked somewhat surprised.

"Yes," he said, looking even more convinced about this, "That's the name."

"Is she…?" the pink-haired woman edged closer to the sneaker.

"Yeah," the sneaker replied, "It's the name of our contact in Cloud. She's alive, after all……"

"Alive and well," Taro immediately added, "Come on, let's go. We don't have time to waste."

"Alright," the sneaker nodded his head, "I suppose it is as good as any for a start. Let's go."

All of them stood up.

Suddenly, the bald man with the closed eyes said,

"…For that Amagi to be able to destroy this part of the Village," he said, "What kind of army did he send here?"

Taro looked grim.

"He sent his Shadow Cloud members," he replied, "They're monsters. They demonstrated the kind of strength and power we had never seen before in our entire lives. …They're not humans. This whole section of the Village was destroyed in just a span of one day only—incredible power that we could not fight back no matter how hard we tried."

"One day? Destroying all of this?" the pink haired woman looked surprised, "Did he send all of the Shadow Cloud members?"

"No," one of Taro's friends suddenly muttered—for some reason, he looked positively terrified, "…There were only three."

* * *

**- ???**

"…Do you know?" Sasuke spoke quietly, "What is going on with you right now? Why are you inside that machine with so many cables going in into your body?"

Sasuke looked unhappy, but nevertheless he continued,

"It is something created by Cloud," he said, "I never would have imagined before that they were capable of creating such a machine, but in terms of technology alone, Cloud definitely has surpassed any other countries in the world…… and quite by a significant margin too, I might add."

He stood up, his hands on his back.

"You see, Naruto," he said, "Usually, in order to extract a Bijuu out of a Jinchuuriki and then putting it inside someone else, we require a very sophisticated and special procedure. A procedure that only a very few in this world would know… as the country that once hosted two out of nine Jinchurikis, certainly such knowledge is not something that Cloud does not have."

"However," Sasuke pointed his finger towards Naruto's abs, "When we were about to apply that procedure to you, we ran into an unexpected problem…"

Sasuke turned his back from Naruto.

"I never had the chance to really know what kind of person the 4th Hokage is, but he is a truly exceptionally capable man," Sasuke said, "You see, Naruto—the seal he applied to you, the seal that locks the power of the Nine-Tails within you… it prevented us from being able to fully withdraw the Bijuu out from you to be moved to someone else. None of us could figure out how he did it… how back then he was able to create such a powerful seal that none of us could break through right now. The seal he put on you made us unable to perform the necessary ritual… it's like he has forecasted that a day would come when someone would try to take the powers of the Nine-Tails from you and for that reason he applied a very powerful failsafe to prevent it. Truly, even though he has passed away, perhaps he's still the most potent Seal user in this world up to this day. The Seal has weakened, but we have not yet able to find a way to truly wear it down. You should be grateful for that, Naruto—if it's not because of the seal, it is for certain that we would have already drawn out the Nine-Tails out from you and you wouldn't still be alive right now."

"But for every genius in the world there always would be another genius to counter-balance it," Sasuke continued, "I dislike saying this, but the sheer intelligence of that man maybe a match even for me. As soon as we discovered that we couldn't break through the Seal placed by the 4th Hokage, he worked out a way to withdraw the power of the Nine-Tails by circumventing his ways around the Seal. This machine… Naruto…" he knocked on the glass gently, "This machine is the product of his creation."

Sasuke sat on the chair again.

"You see," he said, "We have found that the Seal the 4th put on you was activated only when we tried to pull out the Nine-Tails' energy on a certain quantity. So this machine was specially constructed and designed to pull out that energy from you little by little, Naruto—just at the right quantity so that the Seal wouldn't be activated. Those red things you see flowing inside those cables…" he pointed out towards one of the cables put inside Naruto, "Those are the Nine-Tails' Chakra, being drawn out from you. We then proceeded to synergize those Chakras into some of our best men—not all of them were compatible with the Nine-Tails Chakra, and it took us quite some time to be able to fuse those bits of Chakra into the Chakra of our men without any noticeable side-effects…"

"…But once we were able to do just that, the effects were astounding," Sasuke continued, "In fact, it turned out much better than we could have ever hoped. Those who got their Chakra fused with the Nine-Tails Chakra saw a considerable increase in their strength, Chakra capacity, stamina, and their overall combat capabilities. Such was the increase that it took only three of the Shadow Cloud members that already successfully fused to completely obliterate the part of the Village we suspected as the hiding place for the Rebels—those who still stubbornly loyal to the previous Raikage that got dethroned from his position by Amagi. However, the best part about it Naruto…"

He smiled.

"…Is that we found out to our great delight that the Nine-Tails Chakra inside you was restoring itself," he said, "In other words, for every amount of the Nine-Tails energy we withdrew from you, it took only a moment for the energy to be restored at the exact same amount… making you essentially some sort of a rechargeable battery from which we could continuously draw the Nine-Tails Chakra... it was a fantastic discovery. So far, we have withdrawn enough energy to fuse quite a number of people with the powers of the Nine-Tails—soon enough, we would have an unstoppable army that no force in this world, no matter how powerful, could ever hope to compete."

…

……

Sasuke suddenly turned quiet.

He looked towards Naruto with solemn eyes.

…

"…You know, Naruto," he said slowly, "…You might find this hard to believe…, even _I_ find this hard to believe… But the more I got the chance to think about it, the more I see that I am doing all of this… All that I have been doing all this time… They weren't entirely fueled by my desire to have my revenge against Konoha. Sure, it also played a part, but… I have found to my surprise that I was driven to do all those things I have done by something else… something much greater, something that has become a greater part of who I am right now, Naruto."

He put his hand on his chest.

"…It is my desire to find a place where I can finally rest, Naruto," he said, "…To find a place where I can call home. I am… tired of having to run around all the time without any place where I can rest my wary legs, Naruto. Cloud is the only place offering that dream for me, and I will do absolutely I can to preserve it, even if it means I have to destroy Konoha and putting you in this kind of situation. I cannot hesitate, Naruto, because place where I can call home is not something that I seek only for myself, for I now have……"

He paused as he looked towards Naruto meaningfully.

"…Because now, my life does not belong only to me, Naruto," he said, "…And so does my life is not the only thing I need to protect."

…

Suddenly, a person appeared on the door of the room.

That person quickly ran towards Sasuke, and took a hold of his hand. He looked towards Naruto questioningly, his face filled with genuine curiosity.

Sasuke put his hand on top of that person's hair.

He looked towards Naruto and said,

"Let me introduce him to you, Naruto," he said evenly, "…This is Uchiha Izanagi… the successor of the Uchiha Clan… my son."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**

* * *

  
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